


Sweet Invention

by Marshmellow Bobcat (MellowBobcat)



Series: Cinderella [1]
Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: AU, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Lilly Lives, Mentions: Duncan Kane and Trina Echolls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-19 08:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20206642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MellowBobcat/pseuds/Marshmellow%20Bobcat
Summary: It took two years, three days, a couple of missing siblings, fake dating and only one bed to get to this point, but hey, you know what they say about the ones that come easy.A LoVe story





	Sweet Invention

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday to MKT and Bondo, thanks for being born so you could create this challenge! It compelled me to dust off a WIP.
> 
> Please accept this gift of a meddling, LoVe pushing Lilly Kane.
> 
> Note: I flipped Lilly and Duncan’s ages on purpose :)

**LOGAN**

When the phone rings, Logan picks it up automatically. Admittedly, his mistake is not checking the caller ID first. 

“Hi, Logan?”

“Yes?”

“This is Lilly Kane. We’ve met a few times?”

Logan snorts. If by “met” she means seeing each other at his annual Christmas party, running in the same social circles, and screwing their brains out once, then… “Sure.”

“Great! Do you know where your slut of a sister ran off to?”

There’s a muffled, “Lilly!” in the background, and what sounds like a struggle, before someone who is decidedly not Lilly comes on the line. For one, she’s polite. 

“Hi. Sorry about that. What she _ means _ is, have you heard from Trina recently?”

“No, why would I? It’s not like we’ve exchanged friendship bracelets or anything.”

_ And he’s worked hard to distance himself from Trina’s particular brand of crazy. _

“Oh, okay. Well.... Thank you. You have a good night.”

“Yeah, you to—.” 

_ Shit. _If Trina is in trouble, odds are his dad will somehow blame him, and he’d prefer to stay off Aaron’s radar as much as possible. 

“Wait.” He sighs_ . _“What do you want with Trina?” 

He’s met with a brief silence, followed by muffled chatter. He’s starting to feel like he's listening to an episode of Charlie Brown when a loud, “For God sakes Lilly, I’m going to tell him!” startles him and NotLilly comes back on the line.

“Hi. Sorry.” 

He’s not sure if he should be amused or annoyed. But NotLilly sounds kinda hot so...“No problem.” 

“Duncan and Trina ran off together. We’re trying to find them before the wicked bi-,” she coughs, _ “Celeste _finds out.”

“Trina and _ Duncan _? Duncan Kane?”

He’s not sure which of that duo is scraping the bottom of the barrel. Sure, Trina is an opportunistic gold digger, but Duncan is the embodiment of watching paint dry. Beige paint.

“Yes, Duncan.” NotLilly bristles. “Lilly’s brother?” 

It takes a minute to call up the man’s face. He’s only ever met the guy at the famed Echoll’s Christmas party, and next to Lilly, Duncan is practically invisible. The two are yin and yang, day and night, champagne and water. 

“I remember Duncan. Barely.” 

“Well, ‘memory is man’s greatest friend and worst enemy.’ Gilbert Parker.” 

He blinks. “Did you just quote inspiration at me?”

“I dunno. Were you inspired?”

_ Inspired? “ _ Maybe.” _ Intrigued? Definitely. _

“Why are you so desperate to find Duncan anyway?” 

The Kanes unwavering dedication to keeping President Duncan’s reputation untarnished isn’t a secret. But he didn’t peg Lilly for caring about shit like that. 

“Let’s just say it’s a family project.” She evades.

“Who _ are _you?”

“I’m Lilly’s sister.”

_ Lilly’s-- What the fuck? _

_ “ _Okay, well, let us know if you hear anything.” She says in a rush. And the line goes dead.

* * *

**VERONICA**

Veronica slams down the receiver and stares at the phone with narrowed eyes. It sits there innocently enough, and she supposes flinging it at the wall won’t solve anything. 

It’s not the phone’s fault that she and Lilly decided to place it on the floor and crowd around it like school girls at a slumber party while they called Logan Echolls. 

It’s not the phone's fault she decided Logan deserved some semblance of politeness and she took the phone from Lilly. 

And it’s certainly not the phone's fault she blurted out that she’s Lilly’s sister. 

_ Ugh. _She rakes her fingers through her hair. 

She has _ no idea _ why she told him the truth. Not even her dad knows the truth. At least… they’ve never talked about it. 

But now _ Logan Echolls _ knows? _ What is wrong with her? _

She could have said… anything else really. 

She could have said a half truth: “I'm a friend of Lilly’s.” 

Or the simple truth: “I’m Veronica.” 

Or the full, bitter truth: “I’m the girl who you snuggled on your lap and talked to for hours at Trina’s New Years Eve party two years ago. Before I found you having sex with my sister in the guest room.” 

But nooo, instead...

“YOU TOLD HIM!” Lilly pops up from their position on the floor, and starts pacing.

_ Uh-oh. _“Lilly-“

“You TOLD him?”

“I-“

“You _ never _ let me tell _ anyone _, Veronica Mars. It’s always, ‘Lilly, I don’t care if it will piss Celeste off.’”

“I know.”

“‘Lilly, I don’t care if they have a thing for twins and we almost qualify.’”

“I KNOW.”

“‘Lilly-‘“

Veronica cuts her off. “I liked him, okay? We had a connection. Well, I thought we did before…” she trails off, gesturing up and down at Lilly’s very generous curves.

Lilly’s face falls. “Hey, listen. I really am sorry about that.”

“It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.” Veronica reaches for the pencil and red spiral notebook by her side and begins doodling on the cover. “He seemed.... I dunno, different? I felt like we had a spark… it doesn’t matter anyway, he obviously didn’t feel the same. The most important thing is that we find Duncan. I know how worried you are.”

There’s no response. That never happens when Lilly is in the room. Suspicious, Veronica looks up from the little hearts and stars that encompass the entirety of her artistic ability. Sure enough, her pity party is missing a guest.

Noises coming from Lilly’s massive closet alert her to her sister's whereabouts. She raises up off the floor in time to see her sister dragging two large suitcases into the room. _ This can’t be good. _

“What are you doing?”

“Pack up, Veronica Mars. We’re going to LA.”

* * *

**LOGAN**

Logan groans when he realizes that the pounding reverberating through his his body is coming from the door and not his brain. He considers running back to his room to throw a shirt on, but making the knocking stop—_ please god— _ is top priority. 

With a grunt he turns his avid attention away from the “drip, drip” of the coffee maker to answer the door to his condo apartment.

And is only mildly surprised to see Lilly Kane standing on the other side. He doesn’t know much about her, but he does know she’s an entitled princess who doesn’t take no for an answer.

Lilly, cheeky as always, sings out, “Hello, Lovah.” Curiously, her light expression falters after the endearment, but before he can fully analyze the brief look, she breezes by him into the living room. 

His eyes follow the two terrifyingly large suitcases she's pulling behind her. 

_ Is she…moving in? _

She’s down the hall, out of sight, before he can ask.

“Hi. Can we—I—come in?” He turns back to see a tiny blonde standing in the doorway. 

This must be the polite so-called “sister.” He leisurely studies her from head to toe, an involuntary smile tugging at his lips. She’s wearing a pastel T-shirt that reminds him of lemon sherbet and athletic shorts in a darker shade of yellow, with a white stripe running down each side. The entire outfit is reminiscent of a soccer uniform, all she needs is knee highs. 

_ Very nice. Maybe she can move in, too. _

“Hi. Logan Echolls.” He holds out his hand and shifts so the hallway light accentuates his bare chest. 

Apparently unimpressed, she acknowledges him with a small nod, “I’m Veronica,” as she walks past his outstretched hand.

He frowns down at his exposed abs, then shrugs. He closes the door, making a mental note to add 50 more reps to his workout routine. 

“So, Veronica. Can I get you anything?”

She stares back mutely, arms crossed over her chest. 

Turning on the charm, he tries again. “Lovely day for an ambush, isn’t it?” 

The corner of her lips start to tip up before she schools her features. 

_ Interesting. _

“You could always kick us out.” She suggests with a touch of hope. 

She clearly doesn’t want to be here, and that makes him want her to stay. His therapist would probably have a lot to say about his masochist tendencies. 

He’s considering his next volley when Lilly bounces back into room, announcing, “We took the room with the fireplace!"

He rubs at his temples. They’re not exactly friends, and, okay, most of the times they’ve interacted he’s been wasted, but he really doesn’t remember her being this much of a pest. “That’s the master, Lilly.”

She goes doe-eyed. “Is it?”

“Yes. You guys can take the guest room.” He has the pleasure of watching Veronica’s jaw drop at his offer. 

Logan’s triumphant smile turns into a sigh as Lilly pokes her lip out.

“The guest room, Lilly. It’s the one that doesn’t have my stuff in it.” Logan clarifies and strides back towards the kitchen, ignoring the “sisters” as they follow behind. 

He pours himself a cup of well earned coffee, then opens the cabinet next to the sink and grabs a bottle of aspirin. Shaking out two pills he gives Lilly a long study, and palms two more.

“Hungover, Lov…Logan?”

“No. I don’t really do that anymore.” He chases the pills with a swig of coffee. Not that it’s any of her business, but he hasn’t been wasted in almost two years. 

He glances at Veronica, notes her raised eyebrows, and looks back at Lilly. “What are you doing here?”

"We’re here to find my lying, two faced, bastard of a brother. And Trina, too, I guess. Veronica and I are on winter break from Hearst so we,” there’s a cough from behind Lilly “fine, _ I _ thought we should pool our resources.”

It doesn’t sound like the whole truth, but he’s invested—not that they need to know that has more to do with Aaron’s reaction than any concern for his sister. 

“My resources are pretty slim. But my brotherly concern got the better of me, and I spent all of last night trying to get information out of Trina’s friends with nothing to show for it.” He takes another sip of coffee, wishing it came in IV form. “Hence the migraine.”

Lilly sends him an “I know something you don’t know” look, takes a seat at the kitchen island, then gives Veronica an expectant stare. 

The “sisters” engage in a silent battle of wills. Veronica’s eyes narrow. Lilly pouts. Veronica's lips purse. Lilly’s Kewpie doll eyes get even wider and start to mist.

“Okay, okay.” Veronica caves. “You’re such a bitch.” She adds with a reluctant fondness, hopping onto the stool next to Lilly. Then starts giving orders.

“Logan, give Lilly the contact information for Trina’s friends. I’m guessing they flirted with you instead of giving you information. Everyone wants to be Lilly’s best friend, God knows why,—”

“Hey!”

—so,” she continues over Lilly’s protest, “they’ll tell her anything we want to know.”

Logan nods his agreement. _ Minimal participation, he likes it. _

Something about the tone and pitch of her voice is nagging at him, and he hones in on it as she issues commands. 

“Lilly, be nice.”

Lilly sticks her tongue out.

“I’ll reread Duncan’s pithy goodbye note and go through Trina’s social media accounts. See if any clues match up. I’ll need passwords. And Logan,” Veronica's eyes meet his, “put a shirt on.”

_ Finally some recognition. _Gratified, he's giving his abdomen a lazy scratch when it hits him. He knows that voice.

Logan scrutinizes Veronica, superimposes another girl on top of her image. _ Change the hair to brown...drop the height about four inches...add a push-up bra, and… _ “You’re Cinderella!”

* * *

**VERONICA**

Veronica blinks at him. “I’m who, now?”

He flushes. “It may have been two years ago but you know exactly what I’m talking about. You disappeared at midnight. You took off in the middle of our conversation at Trina’s party to hook up with Dick Casablancas.”

Veronica gasps. “I did no such thing.”

“It _ is _ you.” He jabs a finger in her direction.

“Wow, can’t get anything past you,” she mocks. “I’m surprised you remember me at all. I thought for sure I'd slipped your mind when I found you banging my sister."

“Oh, noticed that, did you?” he fires back. “Was that before or after you stuck your tongue down Dick’s throat?” 

“I did _ not _ hook up with Dick.” She barely refrains from stomping her foot. _ Barely _.

“So _ you _ say.”

“Are you being serious right now?" she demands. "After everything we talked about, you thought I, what, turned into a bimbo at midnight or something?"

"Well, if the shoe fits." The derision in his voice is unappreciated.

_ He’s _ the bad guy here. 

"You hallucinated me hooking up with Dick Casablancas--”

“I did not hal—“

“And you flounced off to sleep with my sister?” She finishes loudly, overriding his denial.

”Alright, first of all, I do not _ flounce. _Second, since when does Lilly have a sister? And even if I did know she had one, how would I know it was you?” he demands. “You and I never even exchanged names. But here we are and you obviously know who I am. Were you playing me?”

She scoffs. _ Playing him. _

_ She _ didn’t do anything wrong. He, however, _ slept with her sister. _

She is starting to get an inkling about what happened, though, but since he’s acting like a jackass she shuts her mouth and refuses to answer.

“So what was it, Veronica?” Logan presses. “Some twisted Kane sister sex thing?”

Veronica’s jaw drops. She’s not sure which is more offensive: her presumed sexual proclivities or the term “Kane sister.”

Before she can muster a response, Logan spins away and storms out of the kitchen with a huff.

Veronica seethes at his back. 

A bright peel, that can only be the sound of crystal against glass, gets her attention. _ Lilly _. She’d forgotten she was there. 

She turns back towards the kitchen, and sure enough, at some point her sister managed to procure champagne, orange juice, and glassware.

Face alight with mirth, Lilly takes a dainty sip of her mimosa. "You’re going to have to explain it to him, you know.”

Veronica crosses her arms over her chest. “I am not. I don't owe him anything.”

“Darling, petulance is my look.”

“Whatever. Let’s make some phone calls. The sooner we find your idiot brother, the faster we can go home. I’ll go get our suitcases.”

"Mmm, yes, our bags. Would those be in Logan's room?" Lilly grins against the rim of her champagne glass.

Veronica growls at her. _ That’s it. Finding Duncan Kane is officially job one. Then maybe they can get the fuck out of there. _

Flouncing out of the kitchen, Veronica shouts over her shoulder, “One drink, Lilly. No fucking with your meds.”

Lilly’s forlorn sigh echos down the hall.

* * *

**LOGAN**

Skirting around Lilly’s luggage, Logan sits on _ his _ bed in _ his _ room, and leans against _ his _headboard. 

His head is reeling, replaying every painful detail from the night he met Veronica. It may have been two years ago, but it feels like ten minutes. 

He and Trina had been in one of their rare harmonious periods and he magnanimously agreed to attend her annual New Year’s Eve bash. From almost the minute he arrived, he was accosted by his sister’s idiot friends. He’d managed to breakaway to the balcony and sat in a lone chair on one side of a gigantic pillar, hoping for some cover. It was only later he realized he’d backed himself into a corner. Now there was no escape from Trina’s graspy friends. 

Usually that wouldn’t bother him, but he’d just come back from a month-long debauchery tour of Europe. It was fun at first, but now he was feeling jaded. He could swear he was meeting the same, boring, obvious girl over and over again while away. Only the dress color changed. The people at this party were no exception. 

And then, as if by magic, the perfect girl literally fell into his lap. 

She was beautiful, charming, engaging. But it was her sincerity that enthralled him. No agendas, no games. She got even his most obscure references, took his snark in stride, and gave it back to him in spades. He thought they had a connection, until she turned out to be as disingenuous as everyone else in LA.

Right before midnight, she left him with a promise to return, and he’d been so captivated by her that he couldn’t wait. So, he followed her, and found her, his dream girl, kneeling on the floor next to Dick Casablancas, practically giving him a hand job. Betrayal gave way to fury as she leaned up to whisper something in Dick’s ear. 

Rather than actually watch them make out, Logan grabbed a random bottle and disappeared into an empty bedroom. Halfway through what turned out to be Patron, an equally drunk Lilly Kane stumbled into the room. He doesn’t remember much after that, but the next morning, he’d woken up to an empty bed, sticky skin, and no idea if he’d used a condom. 

Picking his way through red Solo cups and passed-out party goers, he stood on the balcony, watching his sister’s friends do lines of coke in the early morning light. On his way to join them, a gleam at the far end of the balcony caught his eye. Curious, he picked it up to examine. A bracelet. _ Her _bracelet. She’d been fiddling with it all night. 

A rush of nausea, nourished by booze and self disgust, rolled in his gut and he emptied the contents of his stomach on the balcony floor. No one else noticed. 

By the time his body was empty, his mind was clear. Even if that “perfect girl” was an invention of his innermost desires, one day he would meet one that wasn’t an illusion. 

He’d gone back to his room, closed the door, and started making phone calls. With a little time, and some money, he managed to get appointments with his doctor (for an STD panel), a psychologist, and his career adviser at UCLA. 

It took him a lot of time and therapy to get where he is today—content with himself, aware of his triggers. And now, here he is, second guessing everything. 

_ Could he be wrong about her? _

Over the years, he’d convinced himself she couldn’t possibly be as beautiful as he remembered, and he was wrong. 

_ What else could he be wrong about? _

He resents this test of his resolve. And he resents the fact that despite everything, he still wants her. 

The slam of the bedroom door interrupts his reminiscing, but he doesn’t bother to move. There she is, his sullied creation. From his prone position on the bed, Logan summons a leer.

“Veronica Kane. Come to finish the job?” He gestures suggestively towards his still naked chest, and then a little lower. He scans her features to see if he hit a nerve, and considers the mission accomplished as she grits her teeth and straightens her spine. 

His satisfaction quickly turns to disappointment when she simply grasps the handles of the rolling Louise V’s and hurries out, snapping, “It’s Mars. Not Kane.”

Logan gets up to close the door she left open, and hears her angry mutter of, “Why do I keep telling him things?” as she strides down the hall. 

Unsure what to make of that, and done with the walk down memory lane, he vows to camp in his room for the day. By early evening he’s managed to sleep off the majority of his headache and get through another Prisoner of Azkaban reread. But, pretty boys cannot live on four aspirin and a half a cup of coffee alone. Loathe as he is to admit it, he knows he has to venture out.

Rolling off the bed, he stretches his arms over his head on his way to the closet. Choosing a black henley and a pair of crisp jeans from the neatly-hung row, he heads to the kitchen.

On his way, he pauses in the guest room’s open door, and spies Lilly stretched out on the bed, on the phone, with Veronica nowhere in sight. 

Lilly spots him hovering, and holds up an index finger for him to wait, while she chats away.

“It’s like when I go shopping, I have to have the most expensive thing. Not because it’s expensive, but because it costs more. Mmm, exactly." Her tone is exuberant, her eyes bored, and she’s picking a stray thread on the comforter. "Listen Shelly, darling, I have to jet…. no, not literally. Let me know if you hear from Trina. Thanks doll, I’ll see you soon.” 

She hangs up with a pained expression. “Is it any wonder I cling to Veronica?”

He can’t stop himself from asking. “Where is Ms. Mars?”

“Oh, Veronica is in your office. Since you’ve banished us to this cupboard,” she gives him a reproachful look, “I’ve designated the office our official wardrobe area.”

“Lilly, this condo is 2,000 square feet. The cupboard isn’t even the size of a cupboard.”

“_ Anyway,’ _Lilly disregards his argument, “be quiet if you go in there. We made a list of anyone we have in common with Trina. I got the girls—sharing is caring on the aspirin front. Veronica is calling all the guys before she changes for dinner. She’s better at getting information from guys.”

“I’m sure she is. She’s had the practice.” He certainly told her more than he’s presently comfortable with. “Tell me, does she charge by the hour these days? Or are her services still free to the public?”

Lilly’s face darkens. “Don’t. Don’t _ ever _. You don’t even know her.” 

“I know what I saw.”

“You have no idea what you saw.” Lilly makes a visible effort to calm herself. “You don’t know what really happened that night.”

_ Huh. Clearly someone’s been telling tales. _ He wonders how much Lilly knows, and why Veronica isn’t mad at _ her _. 

“Really. Why don’t you tell me?”

“Why don’t you ask her?” She challenges back. “Give her a chance to explain.”

He tilts his head at her. “You’re encouraging this.” 

“It’s entirely possible.” 

“Why?” Sure, they’ve had sex, but they barely know each other. 

“Usually, I wouldn’t be. I heard you got your life together, but if we got here and you were an asshole, we would be gone by now. But you’re not, and she deserves to be happy. I messed that up, and I’m trying to fix it.” Lilly gives him a steady look. “What are you doing about it?”

He frowns at her. He’s obviously missing something about that night.

“Go.” Lilly shoos him away impatiently. “Go brood somewhere else, you stubborn ass.”

He leaves her, and ends up lingering outside the office. Through the closed door, he hears an effusive giggle. “Oh, John, I don’t know what I would do without your help!” That sounds more like the Amber of his imagination than Veronica’s dulcet tones. 

Curious, Logan quietly pushes the door open, and freezes. 

Lit in the fading sun like some sort of golden offering, Veronica is clad only in minuscule scraps of red lace and satin. She’s standing in profile, cell phone pressed to her ear, studying a row of yellow dresses laid out on the room’s single couch. 

He has an immediate, insane vision of pulling the lace off with his teeth. Slowly.

Feeling like the worst sort of voyeur, he backs away from the office, closing the door without a sound.

Maybe Lilly was right. Giving her a chance to explain is the only decent thing to do. And if he _ is _wrong, well, “Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.” Bruce Lee. 

Veronica walks into the dining room thirty minutes later, and he’s, mostly, pushed the image of her, half-naked form from his mind. She’s wearing a boxy, unflattering dress the color of Dijon Mustard, and that helps. 

Her eyes widen when she spots him and takes a hesitant step back towards the hallway before giving a little shrug and entering the room. “Have you seen Lilly?”

“Not since earlier. So, um, listen…I’m sorry. About, you know.”

She raises her eyebrows. “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”

_ God, he likes her. Lilly better be right about this. _

“For…” He can’t think of anything that won’t start an argument. “You know what? Let me try again. Nice dress.”

To his surprise, she breaks out into a grin and takes a seat at the table. 

“It’s a _ terrible _ dress.” 

He lets out a surprised laugh. “Yes, it is. Why are you wearing it?” 

A devious expression crosses her face. “I didn’t want to come here. When Lilly ‘ordered’ me to pack, I put every yellow item of clothing I own into my suitcase. Lilly _ hates _ when I wear yellow.”

“It bothers her that much?” _ That seems kind of extreme. _

Veronica’s amusement tinkles out. “You really _ don’t _know Lilly that well. ‘Have I taught you nothing, Veronica Mars,’” she mimics. “She’s such a pain in the ass. She wanted me to only pack lingerie.”

_ Look at that. Logan Echolls and Lilly Kane sharing hopes and dreams. Will wonders never cease? _

He clears his throat. “Uh, Lilly said I may have misunderstood what happened the night we met.”

Veronica’s expression closes off. “Lilly talks too much.”

“So...what happened?” He might embarrass himself by forgiving any flimsy excuse she might have, but he has to know. 

“Am I doing this now?”

He sends her an encouraging look, and she heaves a sigh.

“Fine. Picture it.” Her hands sweep out in a dramatic gesture. “Sicily, 1922…”

“Veronica.”

“Okay, okay.” She relents. “I, uh, do favors for friends sometimes. The only reason I was at Trina’s party was to find Dick—“

“Casablancas, I presume?” 

She shoots him a withering look, and he shuts his mouth with a slight smirk.

“I had been looking for an hour and needed a break….” 

_ Veronica’s feet are killing her. She thought expensive shoes were supposed to be comfortable. Apparently that’s a lie they tell the poor, slovenly masses, including herself, to garner envy. That’s what she gets for letting Lilly play fairy godmother tonight. She’s on a case, she’s not supposed to be...shiny. But Lilly insisted that if Veronica planned to run a temptation scenario at a Trina Echolls party, she needed to stand out. “Sassy says boys gravitate towards shiny things, sister of mine.” _

_ She only has herself to blame for letting Lilly talk her into taking this case. _

_ Lilly’s frenemy Madison Sinclaire found an engagement ring in her boyfriend’s gym bag. Which wouldn’t be a big deal if said boyfriend wasn’t Dick Casablancas. _

_ Madison wants to say yes, but rumor has it that Dick has a habit of hooking up with other girls at parties. According to Madison, Dick can sleep with anyone he wants, she’ll still marry him, but he cannot, under any circumstances, embarrass her in public. _

_ Since Madison is a ‘pics or it didn’t happen’ sort of golddigger, she wants proof before she says no to Dick’s proposal. _

_ Veronica almost said no to the case. She's met Dick at a few parties, thanks to Lilly, and there’s an off-chance he might recognize her. But Lilly suggested she wear a wig and charge Madison the “Superficial Bitch” rate. And since textbooks are expensive, she agreed. _

_ It wasn’t until they were getting ready that Veronica realized Lilly just wanted to play dress up. _

_ And that’s how she finds herself in ridiculous crystal encrusted Jimmy Choo heels, contemplating the benefits of sitting down for an hour versus numbing her feet with shots of vodka. Since she’s on a case, the chair wins. _

_ Stepping out onto the balcony, Veronica pushes past the smokers, and spies a metal folding chair at the far end of the terrace, tucked next to an obnoxiously wide white pillar. _

_ From her new perch she can see everyone on the balcony and most of the people inside through the long glass window running along the wall. If Dick shows, he should be easy to spot. _

_ Resting her head against the cool marble, she lets her mind drift, enjoying the relative peace her little corner provides. _

_ “Isn’t the weather, like, so nice tonight?” _

_ Veronica looks up with a resigned sigh, relieved to see that the girl clad in a skin-hugging peach dress isn’t addressing her. Instead, Peach Girl’s attention is focused on whoever is sitting on the other side of her pillar. _

_ “Truly shocking for Southern California,” comes the dry response. _

_ Veronica giggles to herself. _

_ Princess Peach giggles aloud. “I’m Prue,” she breathes, clearly interpreting the sarcastic response as an invitation. Prue flips her long wavy brown hair, and bats her obviously fake eyelashes. _

_ Veronica imagines Prue thinks her doe-eyed blinking is beguiling, but in reality it's rather aggressive. Maybe Prue has a medical condition…. _

_ “Is there something wrong with your eyes?” At the faux concern in his voice Veronica muffles a snort. Prue, however, is decidedly unamused. She twirls on an impossibly skinny peach heel, and huffs off. _

_ There are a few moments of blessed silence before an attractive blonde stumbles towards her. This one is wearing a sleeveless dress in shiny, mint green satin. Veronica has it on good authority that men like shiny. Maybe this one will fare better. She settles back in her chair, ready for the show. _

_ Green Girl slurs, “Hiii! When did you get back from Europe?” _

_ With a put-upon sigh, Veronica’s invisible pillar companion replies, “Last month, Esmeralda. Like I told you an hour ago.” _

_ Esmeralda pops her gum. “Whatcha do over there anyway?” _

_ “Oh, not much. I slew a few dragons, rescued a few princesses, outwitted a few magicians. Usual things.” _

_ Veronica snickers at Esmeralda’s earnest nodding. Without warning Esmeralda lurches forward, disappearing behind the pillar. Veronica can’t see what’s going on, but there’s a scraping of the chair and a sharp “No!” from the man. Esmeralda stumbles back and leaves pouting. _

_ Veronica covers her mouth to hold back the laughter. _

_ “I can hear you, you know.” _

_ Busted, she lets the laughter roll out, quick and bright. _

_ “Go ahead, laugh it up. The least you can do is help.” _

_ “Aw, poor baby. Accosted by bimbos all night.” _

_ “It’s a burden.” _

_ Before she can reply, another girl— in a lavender dress— strides purposefully towards Veronica’s new friend. _

_ Taking his plea for help to heart, Veronica jumps out of her seat, and rounds the pillar. Without taking her eyes off the new arrival, Veronica sits sideways on the man’s left thigh. She throws an arm around his shoulders and drapes her legs across his lap. His hands immediately slip around her waist to anchor her there, his chin rests on her shoulders, creating a unified front. _

_ The new girl takes the hint and veers back towards the entrance. Veronica stares after her, confirming she doesn’t plan to double back. His voice in her ear startles her. _

_ “Thank you kindly for the save.” _

_ Smile spreading, she turns towards him. _

_ "You’re most kindly wel-welcome.” She hopes he didn’t notice her stumble at the end. It’s just that...she recognizes him. Logan Echolls. Veronica has seen him at a few parties, though never up close, and of course—being the son of two movie stars—he’s often in the tabloids. _

_ He doesn’t seem to register any recognition in her expression. He’s practically twinkling with good humor, smile morphing into a smirk as he eyes their position. Veronica moves to get off his lap, but he tightens his arms around her. _

_ “You never know when one of them might come back.” He shudders. _

_ Nodding gravely, she assures him, "Consider me your protection squad.” _

_ And so they spend the next few hours talking, snuggled in their shared chair. He makes her nervous, and she slides the glass beaded bracelet Lilly shoved on her wrist on and off while they chat. He recounts an embarrassing story involving Rosie Perez, a birthday, and a purse and soon enough her anxiety eases and she surprises herself by opening up. _

_ She tells him about the life plan she’s followed to the letter. And her growing fear that it’s not what she wants—that she’s wasted 2 years of tuition and time. How she hasn’t mentioned it to her dad because, even at 20, she’s still afraid of disappointing him. _

_ Logan is the same age and in the same place. He’s not sure what he wants to do with his life, but he knows this isn’t it. It makes her feel less alone. All he says about his family is that he’s not interested in going into the family business. She doesn’t push. God knows her family defines complicated. _

_ Logan is nothing like what she thought he would be—what the press makes him out to be. He’s funny, and warm, and sober. He seems genuinely interested in what she has to say. More than a pretty face—which is saying something because, God, is he pretty—he’s smart and snarky and kind of sweet. They’re discussing the pros and cons of biking for the environment when she spots Dick’s trademark platinum surfer hairdo through the balcony window. _

_ She instinctively jumps off Logan’s lap to track Dick’s movements, hoping to intercept him. The quicker she gets this done, the sooner she can get back to Logan. How hard could it be to get Dick Casablancas to make a move? _

_ “Hey, where are you going?” Logan pulls her back into his lap. She gives him a peck on the cheek and his face lights up. _

_ “I’ll be back, 15 minutes.” She considers what she knows about Dick. “Make that 10.” _

_ She pokes at his pouting lower lip with her finger. “Put that away. I’ll be right back. And then you’re going to get your brains kissed out whether you like it or not.” _

_ He pushes her off his lap. “Go, what are you still doing here?” _

_ Laughing, she makes her way through the crowd toward the living room, where she saw Dick headed. It takes her five of her projected 10 minutes to locate him. He's sitting on the couch, drinking a beer, and looking through his phone. From the exaggerated care he uses to press the buttons on the cellphone, he’s been drinking. At least this shouldn’t take long. _

_ Veronica sidles up to him and, with painstaking casualness, knees his arm, spilling his drink. _

_ “Oh my God!" she gushes, kneeling beside him to brush the beer off his legs with her hands, lingering slightly over the task. _ " _ I am, like, so sorry." _

_ “Whoa!” He stills her hands, then grabs her chin. She lets him lean closer, fully prepared to slap him if he tries to kiss her. Instead, he shouts directly in her ear, “I’m, like, taken already.” _

_ Her shock must look like disappointment because he says with sincerity, “It’s not you. I would totally do you. But I’m getting married. I love her and shit.” _

_ That she didn’t expect. She studies him and drops the Amber voice. “I’m not sure she deserves you.” _

_ He ruffles his brow in confusion. _

_ “Oh! Oh my God, I’m, like, so embarrassed. Good luck with the wedding.” _

_ Using his knees as leverage, she hauls herself up and heads back towards the balcony. When she gets there, someone else is sitting in their chair. She waits around for a bit and when he still doesn’t show she does a sweep of the party. Still no Logan. It’s after midnight by this point and either he left, or they keep missing each other. She’s pretty good at tracking people, she’s not concerned. But she hasn’t seen Lilly, and that does worry her. Lilly doesn't make the best decisions at parties. _

_ Knowing her sister, Veronica starts her search in the bedrooms. As she nears the third one she makes out the faint sound of moans under the pounding party music. Rolling her eyes, and praying for patience, Veronica discreetly opens the door. _

_ And discovers her naked sister straddling a shirtless, pantless, black-hearted Logan Echolls. _

_ Shock wars with hurt as she closes the door and backs into the hall. Blindly fishing her phone out of her bra, Veronica calls their driver and makes her way to the elevator. On the way down she sends a text to Lilly: _ ** _Had to go. Took a cab. Left you the car. Driver said take your time._ **

Veronica sits back in the dining room chair and crosses her arms over her chest. “So. I went home. But I didn’t ‘shove my tongue down Dick’s throat,’ as you so eloquently put it.” 

He believes her. He’s not sure if it’s because she’s trustworthy or if it’s because he _ wants _ to believe, but he’s going with it. 

Before he can respond, Lilly enters the room at a dead run. “Veronica, I’m sorry! Celeste called. She knows Duncan is missing. She’s coming.”

Logan desperately wants to dismiss Lilly and continue his conversation with Veronica, but since Veronica is currently losing her shit, it’s not the time. He doesn’t understand why she’s getting this worked up. 

“Coming over _ here _? Here, here?” Veronica paces between him and Lilly, her voice rising with each pass. “Is she staying with Logan, too? Should I leave? Does she know I’m here?” 

She stops and spins towards her sister. “Dammit , Lilly, why am I here?”

“Veronica, calm down. I don’t know anything. She yelled at me for letting Duncan run off without her permission and said she was on her way here.”

“How does she even know where ‘here’ is?” 

“Apparently,” Lilly’s voice is as dry as the Saharra, “she tracks my car.”

Veronica winces as the doorbell rings. 

Both girls freeze. Cursing Trina, Logan gets up and answers it. Sure enough, it’s Celeste Kane. 

_ Shit. _He just knows he’s going to find the doorman turned to stone. 

Usually he’d tell her to fuck off, but she’s friends with his father and his trust fund doesn’t kick in until he’s 25, and he’s only 22. For now he’ll have to go along to get along. At least she’s not carrying luggage. 

“Mrs. Kane.” He nods to her. 

“Hello, Logan. Where is my daughter?” She breezes past him without a pause. 

_ And mother/daughter probably think they have nothing in common. _

“Come in,” He gestures to the air after her. “Enjoy my personal space.”

_ “ _I'm here, Mother.” Lilly comes in from the dining room with Veronica in tow. 

“So I see. Get your things Lilly. We’re staying at the Four Seasons. And Veronica,” Celeste’s icy gaze sweeps Veronica’s small form, “Shouldn’t you be getting home? This is a family matter after all.” 

Hands clenched into fists, Veronica smiles politely through gritted teeth. 

Seeing this peek of insecurity from the unflappable woman in front of him arouses his protective instincts. 

Celeste’s ability to sound dismissive, disinterested, and condescending all at once is a talent. And a weapon. He’s not sure where it comes from, but he finds he’s not a fan of weapons being aimed at Veronica. 

On impulse, he steps between them. “With all due respect Celeste, you have a problem with Veronica, you leave.” He covers his own surprise with his trademark smirk.

“Excuse me?”

_ Shit. What is he doing? _“You heard me. If you don't like my girlfriend, then start heading towards the big rectangle with the knob.” 

The three women stare at him with varying degrees of shock. He imagines he’d see a similar expression if he looked in a mirror. Lilly recovers first.

“That’s right, Mother. Leave Logan’s _ girlfriend _alone.” Her tone is pure delight. “Oh, and I’m staying.”

Celeste’s face remains impassive. If he didn’t know her, he’d assume she was recovering from a round of Botox. “I don’t know why I bother trying to reason with children. Fine. Enjoy your little slumber party. I’ll be back in the morning.” 

“You will?”

“Yes, Logan. I called your father. We’re meeting here tomorrow.” 

_ Well, fuck. There goes staying off the radar. _

* * *

**VERONICA**

While Logan and Lilly show Celeste out, Veronica tries to talk herself into staying mad at Logan, but it’s not working. They obviously had a misunderstanding, and it was so long ago it hardly matters now. 

Plus, between her alcoholic mother and her sister, who was a mess before she started therapy and anti-anxiety medication, Veronica has a soft spot for people with destructive tendencies. Especially when they’re trying to better themselves, like Lilly. 

Logan seems to fall into that category. From what she’s seen he’s less self-deprecating, less angry. As much as she liked him, New Year’s Eve Logan wouldn’t, _ didn’t _, ask questions before acting on his assumptions. And she’s not sure if New Year’s Eve Logan would have shielded her from Celeste with a girlfriend ruse. 

She has bigger issues with Celeste’s involvement in this calamity. Celeste—who has an uncanny way of making her feel small. Unwanted. 

In the far regions of Veronica’s mind lies an irrational fear that Celeste will take Lilly away from her. Even though they’re adults. Even though Lilly would never leave her, especially not at her mother’s decree, she can’t help it. Whenever Celeste is around she goes into a deep dive of negative thoughts. Lilly has suggested more than once that she see someone about her anxiety, but she’d rather just steer clear of the woman. 

When Veronica _ is _ forced to be in Celeste’s presence, she mostly brazens it out, but appearing that unaffected is tiring. And the woman is always suggesting Veronica leave, that Veronica has no right to be near Celeste’s children. Hopefully Logan’s girlfriend story will keep the Kane matriarch off her back on this trip. 

“She’s gone. You can relax, sis.” Lilly examines her closely as she and Logan return. 

Veronica summons a smile, then glances at Logan. He looks dazed and a touch ill. 

She fakes a cough for his attention. “So…we’re dating?” 

Logan stares off into space, giving no sign that he heard her. 

Lilly, on the other hand, is positively gleeful. “Cheer up, Veronica Mars! At least she can’t make Logan dump you like she made Duncan.”

_ Fucking, Lilly. Is she doing this on purpose? _ Veronica grimaces. _ Now they’re going to have to explain— _

Logan’s head snaps up. _ “ _You dated your brother?” 

_ Yup _ , _ there it is. _

Lilly starts to giggle. 

Veronica simply sinks down to the floor, hugging her legs to her chest, resting her forehead against her bare knees. Her body is finally catching up to her mental exhaustion.

Lilly’s giggles turn into full blown laughter._ “ _I’ll leave you two lovebirds to talk it out.” Her mirth carries her down the hall and out of sight. 

When she’s gone Veronica mumbles without lifting her head, “He’s not my brother.” 

Logan drops down next to her. “What was that?”

“Duncan.” She turns towards him, resting her cheek on her knees. “He’s not my brother.”

“But Lilly is your sister.”

“Yes.” She doesn’t offer anything more. The full story is less Hallmark, more Lifetime, and it’s one she almost never tells. 

“So is Celeste your…?”

“NO! God, no. It’s Jake. He’s my biological father. But let me very clear here, Logan, the man who gave me his name and raised me is my dad.”

“I get that.” Logan is quick to assure her. “So...is Duncan adopted?” 

Veronica debates with herself, and lands on _ screw it. _He knows most of it anyway and she really doesn’t want him thinking she dated her brother. 

“You know what? This is a long story and I’m starving. Know any good Italian places? I’ve been craving fettuccine since I got here.”

They agree to takeout, and Logan calls the order in, following her instructions exactly. Veronica will eat anything, but Lilly orders like a rabbit and eats like a bear. Veronica always orders extra so Lilly can steal from her plate. This time though, when the food arrives, Lilly takes her salad and the _ entire _ roll of garlic bread and goes back to her room to eat, leaving Logan and Veronica alone. 

The story is messy and she’s not quite ready for it. Over dinner, Veronica steadfastly steers them towards other topics. Their rapport is so easy, so natural. She thinks maybe they can be friends. As long as he keeps his shirt on. That inguinal crease is _ not _ playing fair. 

Logan goes along with her avoidance tactics readily enough, but by dessert his patience wears out.

“So… Duncan’s not adopted?” Logan cues her as he passes her a plate of cannolis. 

“No.” Veronica sinks her teeth into the sweet dessert and closes her eyes on a moan. _ Totally worth the calories. “ _He’s not adopted.”

She looks up to see Logan staring at her. 

“Hello?” She waves a hand in front of his face. 

He gives his head a shake. “Right. That means Celeste...”

“Had an affair, yes.” 

“With who?” Logan’s eyes are wide. 

Veronica shrugs. “No idea.”

“How’d you find out?” 

_ Here goes nothing. _

_ “ _We figured it out around the time we were 12.” Veronica steals another cannoli. “Duncan developed a bit of a crush on me…”

_ “Why is Duncan being weird, Lilly?” Veronica comes dangerously close to pouting. _

_ “Isn’t it obvious? He likes you, Veronica Mars.” _

_ “Like, ‘likes’ me, likes me?” _

_ “Yes. Do you like-like him back?” _

_ The girls start giggling, only stopping when a clearly eavesdropping Celeste appears in the doorway of Lilly’s room. _

_ “Veronica.” Her voice is sharp. “Shouldn’t you be getting home.” It’s not a question. _

_ “Mom! It’s a sleepover.” _

_ “Nevertheless, Lilly. Veronica, I’ll call your father to pick you up.” _

“Don’t get me wrong,” Veronica explains to Logan. “That wasn’t the first time she politely kicked me out. But that night she seemed particularly agitated. I would have chalked it up to Celeste being Celeste, but.... ”

“But?” Logan prompts.

“You have to understand, we were precocious children. Easily bored if under-stimulated.” 

“It would be a shame to under stimulate you.” 

She narrows her eyes at him and he gazes back innocently. _ Hmm _

“The next time I slept over, Celeste forbade us from doing anything fun, and we got bored. So, we decided to snoop around, discover the salacious secrets the Kanes were surely hiding. It was supposed to be an adventure. It took us a while to figure out that _ I _was the secret.”

_ “Lilly!” Veronica hisses through the darkness of Jake Kane’s office. “You’re making too much noise.” _

_ “Come look at this!” Lilly hisses back. Her Sailor Moon flashlight is trained on a yearbook page heralding: Prom King and Queen 1980, Lianne Reynolds and Jake Kane. The two crowned teenagers are kissing in the photo. _

_ “My mom and your dad?” Something’s not right. Jake and her mom act like they barely know each other. _

_ Lilly stares at the page. “Hey, Veronica. Do you think—?” _

_ “I don’t know.” But her stomach is in knots. _

_ “It could be though, right? It sort of makes sense. Maybe that’s why Mom hates you...” _

_ Hearing it stated that plainly makes Veronica nauseous, but Lilly doesn’t notice. _

_ “... and that would be really cool, right?” _

_ “Not really.” _

_ Lilly drops the yearbook and rushes to hug her. “I’m sorry, Veronica. I didn’t mean it. Maybe… maybe we’re completely off. Mrs. Sullivan did write in my report card that I ‘tend towards the dramatic.’” _

“I see Lilly’s grown as a person.” Logan interjects. 

Veronica acknowledges his sarcasm with a nod. “She’d like you to think she hasn’t.”

But that story is closer to E! True Hollywood Story than Lifetime, and it’s Lilly’s to tell. She’s got her own tale to finish. 

“Lilly tried to explain it away, but I knew it was true. I could feel it. A lot of things started to make sense. Especially how much Lilly and I look alike. We’re even the same age. People always tell us we could be twins.”

_ If it weren’t for the height and the boobs, that is. _

“It was driving me crazy, and I couldn’t let it go. So a few weeks later when my dad took my mom up to a spa in Berkeley for a week--” 

_ “ _You snooped.” Logan guesses.

“Nope. My babysitter happened to be the receptionist for the Neptune Sheriff's Department.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“Anyway,” she sends him a reproachful look. “I convinced her that my school had given us DNA kits for an extra credit assignment and I lost mine.” 

“And she bought that?” 

“Some people find it very hard to say no to me, Logan.” 

_ “Tony, could you send over one of the precinct DNA kits?” Inga covers the phone receiver with her palm and soothes in her German accent, “See, Veronica? Problem solved. Your father will never know.” _

_ Veronica lets her eyes go a touch wider and dips her head slightly. It’s a big ask, so she summons a few tears as well. “Can you make it two? Lilly lost hers, too.” _

_ “Of course, Veronica. You’re such good children, focused on your studies.” _

_ “Thank you, Inga,” Veronica replies sweetly. _

_ “Tony, dear, make that two. Yes, two.” Her tone is firm. “You can messenger them to my assistant’s house.” She winks at Veronica. _

_ It takes them three days to collect all the samples they need. Once they do, the potential sisters sit in Veronica’s room carefully reading the instructions for the DNA testing kit. _

_ Veronica’s jaw drops when Lilly adds her own hair to her test. _

_ “What are you doing? I thought we were checking to see if Duncan is adopted?” _

“Ha! See?”

“Do you want to hear this or not?”

“Sorry. Go on.”

“As I was saying…”

_ “I thought we were checking to see if Duncan is adopted?” _

_ “No, I’m hoping I am.” _

_ “Lilly—“ _

_ “Let’s do this, Veronica Mars!” Lilly adds a fist pump to her false cheer. _

Veronica trails off, lost in thought. 

Logan kicks her chair.

“Hey!”

“No more cannolis until you tell me the rest.” 

She looks at him smugly, and waits for it. She laughs outright when he realizes all the cannolis are gone. 

“When did you finish them?” 

“Some people know how to multitask, Logan.” 

He contemplates her. “I have chocolate cake in the fridge.” 

_ Damn him. _In her opinion the reveal is anticlimactic, but she’s more interested in the cake at this point. 

“A few weeks later, I went to Lilly’s house, and we opened them. And found out that Lilly is the daughter of Celeste and Jake Kane. And my DNA is a match for Jake Kane and Lianne Reynolds.” 

She gives Logan an expectant look. He raises his eyebrows at her. 

“Fine.” Veronica grumbles. “Lilly was livid. She went on a rampage tearing the house apart looking for other ‘family secrets.’”

“That can’t be good.” Logan interjects. 

“It really wasn’t. When we got to Celeste’s study we found she had her own DNA test run. On Duncan. It was dated the week she overheard us talking about his crush.”

Veronica pause for effect.

He leans closer to her. “It's a chocolate _ fudge _cake.”

There’s a twinkle in his eyes that distracts her, draws her in. 

“Veronica?” 

“Sorry. Duncan is Celeste’s son. The report didn’t say who his father was. Only that it wasn’t Jake.”

“Wow.”

“Yup. There you have it. Lilly and I share a father. Lilly and Duncan share a mother. But Duncan is _ not _ my brother.” She cannot emphasize that enough.

“How long did you and Duncan date?” 

The question throws her. “Um, for like five minutes when we were 12. Why?”

“Curious.” 

“Well, I’ll confess when Duncan asked me out, I only said yes because I wanted to get a rise out of one of our parents. But the only one bothered by it was Celeste. She’s always hated me, and I finally knew why. Mom and Dad didn’t care either way.” 

Not that Lianne noticed her daughter was dating while she was busy lounging in her bottle. 

“That’s when we realized—no one knew.” Lilly finishes from the doorway, causing Logan and Veronica to jump. 

“Sorry, still kind of hungry.” Lilly crosses to join them at the table.

“Lilly! Come sit. I’ve heard rumors about fudge cake,” Veronica whispers conspicuously as she tries to ascertain Lilly’s mental state. Her sister may seem tough, but she is really just a marshmallow underneath. Duncan leaving has really seemed to affect her. 

Lilly hesitates by a chair. 

“I’ll be right back.” Logan disappears into the kitchen. 

“Fine,” Lilly sits.

Hoping to distract her, Veronica directs the conversation to tomorrow’s game plan. There’s not much to do but finish calling Trina’s friends and comb her social media accounts so that topic dries up quickly. 

Surprisingly, even when Logan returns with an entire cake and three plates, the conversation flows easily. She thought it might be awkward considering the history. 

Despite their drunken hookup, Lilly and Logan only have surface impressions of each other. Veronica sees the similarities, the privileged children of damaged parents. But their connection feels more like the type survivors of horrific events share, rather than anything romantic. Logan seems more interested in learning about Veronica’s life, and she steadfastly ignores the tickle of pleasure that brings her. 

Veronica checks her watch and realizes it’s almost midnight. Her mother once told her “Nothing good happens after midnight.” It’s the one piece of motherly advice that Veronica takes to heart. She pushes back from the table. “Alright guys, I’m calling it.” 

“I’m with you, Sis. Good night, Logan.” 

* * *

**LOGAN**

The next morning Logan is in desperate need of coffee. He barely slept last night with visions of Veronica dancing in his head. After their marathon conversations last night, he wants her even more that he did two years ago. Not only is she hot, but he likes her, he’s finding he respects her. He’s drawn to her in a way he can’t define. 

As he nears the kitchen, he overhears the girls talking.

“Why do you even own that? Have I taught you nothing about making an impression?” 

Logan rounds the corner in time to see Veronica’s expression of feigned innocence. “What, you don’t like it?” 

She pulls her unshapely yellow sweatshirt away from her body with both hands, and gestures with her chin towards the words “Honey, it’s called sarcasm” printed across her chest. 

“Please, Veronica.” Lilly begs. “Change before Logan sees you. He knows we’re related.” 

Veronica rolls her eyes and spots him in the doorframe. With a cheerful, “Good morning, Logan!” Veronica cruises past him, coffee in hand. 

He stares after her until Lilly clears her throat. “I’m going shopping today, that should give you and Veronica plenty of time alone.” 

Logan perks up, and tries to keep his tone neutral. “Have fun.”

“Oh, you’ve got it bad.” 

“Shut up.” 

Lilly dimples at him and sips her coffee, which is in his favorite mug. 

“You have a way of making yourself at home. Anyone ever tell you that?”

“It’s a gift.” She shrugs. “So, I take it from the little hearts in your eyes she explained?”

He glares at her and she looks back with amusement until the doorbell breaks their impasse. Only one person would ring the doorbell at 7am without notice and no alert from the doorman.

“It’s your mother.” Logan reminds her.

“It’s your house.” 

Logan eyes his mug in her hand. _Is it?_

“You owe me.” He steals Lilly’s coffee and crosses the condo. He opens the door with his most charming “I’ve never seen your daughter naked” smile. It falls immediately. 

“Hello, son.” Aaron stands perfectly posed in the doorway with Lynn waiting behind him. The elevator chimes, and Celeste and Jake step off. 

_ Hail, hail the gang's all here… _

Logan opens the door wider, and walks away. 

He needs Veronica and Lilly. He’s not dealing with this bullshit alone.

* * *

**VERONICA**

“Lilly, _ please _.” Veronica implores “Put on a sweater. Or a bra. This is going to be hard enough without Celeste taking digs at your outfit choice.” 

“I will not. I’m not catering to that cow. Plus, my outfit practically qualifies me for the nunnery.”

Technically, Lilly is correct. There’s nothing indecent about what she has on. On anyone else the high-waisted navy pants and white spaghetti strap tank top would be modest, elegant. However, when paired with Lilly’s considerable assets the effect is closer to 1950’s pinup girl. 

Veronica gives a forlorn look to her own outfit. Under her yellow chiffon tank top, she’s not wearing a bra either, but the effect is...less impressive. 

At least her white lace shorts make her legs look longer, and the color works well with her tan. 

There’s a knock on the door and Lilly yells, “Come in,” ending their debate. 

Logan immediately approaches Veronica. He doesn’t spare Lilly a glance. It shouldn’t give Veronica a thrill. It really shouldn’t. 

Shaking off the feeling, she addresses Logan, “The Kanes are here?” 

“Yeah, and my parents.” His expression is indiscernible. After an awkward pause, he adds, “So, uh, I’ll wait in the hall so you can finish getting ready.” 

Confused, she looks between her and Lilly. They’re fully dressed. “Getting ready?” 

“Yeah,” he scans her outfit. “Don’t you want to put a sweater on or something?” 

Veronica’s jaw drops. _ He can’t be serious. _“Me? What about her?” She points at Lilly. 

Logan throws Lilly a glance, then back to Veronica to linger on her legs. “At least Lilly’s wearing pants.” 

At Veronica’s outraged squeak, Lilly gives a triumphant crow. She laughingly shoves Logan out of the door. “Run while you can, Prince Charming, we’ll meet you in five.” 

When Veronica (sans long pants) and Lilly (sans sweater) arrive in the living room, Celeste and Jake stand near the white marble fireplace, and Logan sits sullenly in an armchair, facing the fire. Mr. and Mrs. Echolls talk quietly at the far end of the room, by the panoramic windows.

By tacit agreement, Veronica and Lilly flank Logan. With a sigh, he rises, which seems to cue the Echolls’ to wander over. 

“Lilly, nice to see you again,” Mr. Echolls coos. Mrs. Echolls hovers silently, a vague smile adorning her face. 

Veronica thought she would be star struck by seeing Aaron Echolls in person, but really, she’s just creeped out. She doesn’t like how he’s looking at Lilly. 

“And who’s your other friend, Son?” 

“This is Veronica.” Distinctly uncomfortable, Logan slings an arm around Veronica’s shoulders, startling her. 

“His _ girlfriend, _Aaron.” Celeste informs them. 

_ Shit, she forgot about that. _She snakes an arm around Logan’s waist.

Lynn perks up at the new information and Aaron’s eyes sharpen with interest. 

“Um, nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Echolls.” Veronica greets.

“Call me Lynn, dear.” 

“And, please, call me Aaron.” He affects a winning smile. 

“Wonderful.” Celeste moves on brusquely. “Since that’s out of the way, let’s move on to finding our wayward children.” 

“Veronica has a plan.” 

Logan sounds almost proud, but Veronica shifts uneasily at the unwanted attention. He doesn’t understand the dynamics. 

“What’s the plan, Veronica?” Jake’s warm expression is in direct contrast to Celeste’s tight smile. 

Veronica well and truly hates this. Jake has always been nice to her, he’s always treated her like a second daughter. And somehow, that’s worse than Celeste’s cold, dismissive attitude. 

“We called Trina’s friends yesterday and that got us nowhere. A couple of them are going to keep us informed.” She looks at Lilly.

“I’m going shopping with Shelly today. She’s tedious, but she knows everything. She promised to call around, discreetly, and update me. ” 

Veronica continues, “And we also—“ 

“Your plan is to gossip with your little friends? We’ll be lucky if it’s not all over the tabloids by morning. Jake and I will call Duncan’s contacts, I’m sure they’d be more forthcoming with an adult.” 

Veronica stares at Celeste. _ Is she high? _

“Mother—“

Ever the Kane peacemaker, Veronica interrupts Lilly. “We already did that, Celeste.” 

“So, what should we do, dear?” Lynn’s gentle tone is at odds with her measuring look. 

“Can you call their credit card companies? You have their social security numbers, so you can pretend to be them. All you have to do is say you suspect fraud and ask for the charges from the last week or so.” 

Lynn’s eyes take on a glint of approval, and Logan squeezes Veronica’s shoulder. Bolstered, she continues to instruct. 

“Also, check the accounts you have access to and make sure there are no large withdrawals.” 

Celeste sniffs. “And what are you going to be doing while we make these calls?” 

“While Lilly meets with Shelly, Logan and I are going to hack into their social media accounts and email.” 

“Which,” Logan announces, “we’re going to do from the pool downstairs.” 

“We are?” 

“Yes, Sugarpuss.” He kisses her temple. “The WiFi is better down there. We’ll meet back here at lunch.” He leads Veronica out of the room and down the hall. 

Outside of the office, Veronica leans against the wall by the door. 

Logan presses his hand to the space above her head, trapping her. She raises her eyebrows at him. 

He leans his forehead against hers. “You never know who’ll show up. We need to keep up the act.” 

“The WiFi is better at the pool?” She’s proud of how steady her voice comes out, despite her trembling hands.

He shrugs. “They’re old, they won’t know the difference.” 

“Logan, Jake Kane is a tech billionaire. He practically invented WiFi. He’s going to know you’re lying.”

“Hey, Veronica. Did anyone ever tell you that you’re hot when you’re logical?” His nose brushes hers. Her heart picks up speed and she tries to swallow back the sudden lump in her throat.

His lips dip closer, and she licks hers in anticipation. 

A throat clears. “Veronica, can we talk?” 

Logan growls in frustration as Veronica ducks out from under his arm.

“What is it, Jake?” 

“It’s, uh, about your mother.” Jake fidgets with his watch. “I haven’t heard from her recently.” 

Whenever Jake loses track of Lianne, he panics; Veronica's used to it. They don’t even pretend that Jake isn’t sleeping with Lianne anymore. Hell, even her dad knows where his wife disappears to every Tuesday and Thursday night. 

“She’s at the spa.” 

Veronica turns away from Jake, and brushes past Logan into the office. Closing the door, she rests her forehead against it and focuses on her breathing. 

Jake is just a nuisance. Logan on the other hand...she _ thought _maybe they could be friends. But this fake dating, with their history, it’s a bad idea. If keeping up appearances means almost-kisses in hallways then maybe they should stage a “break up.” She can deal with Celeste on her own.

* * *

**LOGAN**

Changing quickly into his swim trunks, Logan grabs a fitted black tee and pulls it over his head on his way to “pick up” Veronica. 

The last time he peeked in without warning he almost had a heart attack. Seeing her in a bathing suit is going to be hard enough, he’s not sure he can take more lacy bits of nothing. He knocks loudly.

Veronica pokes her head out. “Hey! One sec. Come in.” 

She swings the door open, as Lilly wails from behind her, “But Veronica, it’s a _one_ _piece_.” 

Snickering under her breath, Veronica reaches for her messenger bag and slides into a pair of flip flops. “Bye, Lilly. Have fun with Shelly.” She steps through and closes the door on Lilly’s groan. 

“So, off to the land of better WiFi, my friend?” 

He raises his eyebrows. “Sounds good, _ friend. _” 

In the elevator, Logan considers stopping in the Lobby to see if he still has a doorman, but he’s more curious about the one piece than the condo employees. Pushing the button to the Garden Level, they ride down in silence. 

He ushers her out of the elevator and through a pair of double glass doors. The indoor pool is deserted, and they plop down on a pair of chaise lounge chairs nearest the pool steps. Logan moves the thoughtfully folded towels to the small, circular table on the side while Veronica sets up. 

She kicks off her shoes, pulls her laptop out of her messenger bag, and settles against the back of her chair, resting the computer on her thighs.

“Do you have Trina’s passwords?” 

“I have them. She emailed them to me once so I could update her accounts with her parting words if she ever dies or goes into a coma or something.”

Veronica pauses in powering up the computer to peer at him. “That’s insane.” 

“Would you believe she’s not even the most dramatic member of my family?” 

Veronica turns back to the screen with a noncommittal hum. “This shouldn’t take long then.” 

“Does that mean we can swim first?” He’s never been into one pieces before, but he can’t stop thinking about it. 

“No.” She starts typing. 

With a philosophical shrug he stretches out on the chair, propped up on his side to watch her work. “What are we checking first?” 

“MySpace.” 

“Password is TrinaPitt4Eva. Capital T, capital P, number four, capital E, no spaces, and no actual chance.” 

“You can’t be serious.” 

“You’ve met Trina?”

Veronica grimaces as she types. “Yeah, a couple of times. She calls me Lilly’s Friend. With capital letters. Like it’s my name.” 

He snorts. “Sounds like her.”

Tilting the laptop towards him, she points. “Look, you’re not in her top eight.”

He holds up his naked wrist. “No friendship bracelets. I think I mentioned?” 

“Oh. That’s kind of sad.” Veronica takes the computer back and begins a rhythm of quick keystrokes followed by scrolling.

He supposes it is sad, especially compared to the bond between Veronica and Lilly. If he and Trina had a relationship like that, maybe he would start braiding. 

As it stands, his only goal in looking for Trina was to avoid Aarons ire. Now that it’s a moot point, he could care less about their mission. His new objective is spending as much time with Veronica as possible. 

“Nothing here. Except some desperate trolling for party invites and a truly unfortunate taste in music. What’s her Facebook password?” 

“Um...MrsTrinaClooney. Capital M, T, and C.” 

“I should have guessed.”

Logan watches her work in the glow of the screen. Veronica doesn’t look much like Jake. Though, she does have some similarities to Lilly. They’re both beautiful. But…even though Lilly has this obvious, in your face sex appeal, it’s Veronica that stands out in a room. She probably wouldn’t believe him if he told her, but for him, she’s easily the more enthralling of the two. 

And when he almost kissed her earlier… well, it’s best he doesn’t think about that right now. He’s wearing swim trunks and they’re not the best at hiding uncomfortable situations. 

“So, how come you had to call the guys?” That’s been nagging at him since Lilly mentioned it. 

“Hmm?” She doesn't look up from her investigating. 

“Trina’s friends. Lilly said you were better at getting guys to talk.” 

She rolls her eyes and meets his. “That’s because Lilly has no finesse.” 

“What do you do?” 

“It depends on the guy. But mostly,” her voice smooths out and gets just a hair breathy “I appeal to big, strong men looking to help a damsel in distress.” 

She shrugs and her voice returns to normal. “Lilly almost always veers off into innuendos and false promises.” 

She looks down again. “Does Trina have more than one email?”

_ Guess the subject’s closed. _ “All I know about is the TEcholls723@hotmail.com you’ve been using to log in.” 

“Okay. Password? Let me guess, TrinaDamon?”

“Close. JackmanLover2000.” 

“Jesus.” 

“Yeah. Capital J and L.” 

She scrolls through, muttering to herself, and he’s starting to get bored. He doesn’t like being ignored. 

“I’m going to go for a quick swim while you do that.” 

“Mmmm.” Her focus remains on the screen. 

Hiding his pout, Logan steps out of his flip flops, and peels off his shirt. 

When he chances a glance, she’s watching him with wide eyes. She quickly averts her gaze.

He’s only been swimming for a few minutes when Veronica closes the laptop with a discouraged grunt. 

“They’re both being smarter about this than I thought they’d be. Someone has to be helping them. But I think I might have something. I have to talk to Lilly.”

Logan hauls himself onto the edge of the pool, ready to ask questions but then she pulls her shirt over her head and his brain stutters to a stop. 

The suit’s not even that revealing but it's small, and yellow, and perfect. And he wants to touch her. 

“Logan?”

She’s standing in front of him snapping her fingers in front of his face.

"Sorry! What? Do you need me to put suntan lotion on you?” He babbles. 

“Nooo.” She looks pointedly at the ceiling. “Logan, focus. We need to talk.” 

“It’s always business with you,” he pouts. The thin strap of her bathing suit is falling, and he considers helping it down.

She pulls the strap up, breaking his concentration and he frowns at her. She shakes her head. “See, this is part of the problem. I think we should stage a breakup. This was a bad idea.” 

“What? Why?”

“Look. Our history is awkward. If we keep this up, things could get complicated.”

He looks her up and down. “Yeah. They could.” 

“Good, you agree. We—“

“Except what you call complicated, I call a new beginning.” 

He stands up, putting them on more even ground. He moves to her, crowding her space, dripping water on her. 

She doesn’t back down, instead she meets his steady gaze. A drop of water falls on her lip and she catches it with her tongue. _ Yeah, they’re not breaking up. _

“Veronica, let me explain what happened two years ago.” 

“Stop me when I get something wrong.” She raises an eyebrow, and he jerks his head agreement. “You thought I hooked up with someone else, and instead of...I don’t know _ asking _ me about it, you lost yourself in a bottle and the first available warm body.” 

“That’s...accurate.” 

She gives him a small smile. “Look, I get it. I really do. Lilly’s my sister. I’ve seen that sort of impulse get the better of a good person.” 

“Okay, then you—“

“But… the Kanes...my parents…. I spent my formative years watching people while they lied to and cheated on and betrayed each other, so the trust thing...it doesn’t come naturally. I think it’s better if we--”

“Just until we find Trina and Duncan.” He blurts out.

She furrows her brow. “What?” 

“Pretend to be my girlfriend, until we find them. I’m not the same self destructive kid I was two years ago, give me a chance to prove it.” He cups her cheek. “There’s something here, Veronica.”

She lets out a shaky breath. “Yeah. There’s something here.” 

“Okay.” He strokes her cheekbone with his thumb. “Okay. Then act unnaturally. Let me prove that you can trust me.” 

She’s wavering. He can feel it. “Please. You’re judging me on a stupid mistake I made over two years ago.”

“You’re right. I am.” She steps back. “Okay. Just until we find Duncan and your sister.”

“Thank you.” Now all he has to do is find Trina and sign over his trust fund to her so she never comes back. 

They spend some more time swimming, and he—mostly—keeps his hands to himself. Okay, occasionally they linger when he’s tossing her in the water. And sure, when they finally get out of the pool he can’t help himself from wrapping his towel around her and using it to pull her closer. But he only uses the edge to gently dry the water from her face and places a light kiss on her forehead. 

She’s giving him a chance, and he has a feeling he’ll only get one. He doesn’t want to blow it, he has to think about how to proceed. For now, just knowing the opportunity is there is enough. 

“Ready to go up?” They’re still standing a hairsbreadth apart, and she doesn’t sound any more eager to break the spell than he is. 

He kisses her forehead again. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Outside of the condo door, he holds his hand out, palm up, for hers, and she slides her tiny hand into it. 

They follow voices to the dining room and enter into a swarm of chaos. Chinese food cartons are strewn about the table and tensions are riding high. 

Lilly, back from shopping, is arguing with Celeste, designer bags strewn about her feet. 

Jake is sitting idly by, sipping a tumbler of whisky. _ Help yourself, why don't you? _

His mom is positioned by the bar cart with a full wine glass. 

And Aaron is purposefully striding over to Veronica and Logan. Logan braces himself.

His father grasps his shoulder. Aaron has a genial smile painted on, but his fingers dig down to the bone. “Son. And…Veronica, was it?” 

Fighting the urge to shove her behind him, Logan grips her hand in silent warning. It’s best if he does all the talking. But she slips from his grasp, and moves to stand directly in front of him, forcing Aaron to release him. Logan’s heart twists. No one’s ever done that before. Not even his mother.

“Yes, Mr. Echolls.” Her voice is less assertive than her usual forthright tone and she smiles shyly.

“Please, I’ve told you to call me Aaron.” His father twinkles. 

“Aaron.” _ Is she blushing? _ “I didn’t get to say yesterday… I’m a fan, of course, but I really respect your support of local women’s shelters and adult literacy.”

Aaron’s chest puffs out. “Why, thank you, young lady. My own mother was a victim, and she couldn’t even get a job because she couldn’t read the applications. This is my way of giving back.”

“It’s very admirable...Aaron.” She blushes brighter. “Logan says you volunteer more than you’ll let on because you think the attention should be on the charities and not your celebrity status. That’s… that’s so cool.” 

_ He’s never said anything like that in his life. To anyone. Ever. _

Aaron’s face shines with genuine affection. “I like her, Son.”

“She’s a keeper,” Logan agrees.

Aaron wanders towards his wife and Veronica winks at Logan. “The damsel doesn’t always have to be in distress, occasionally she’s just extremely gullible.”

He stares at her. “You’re terrifying.” 

“Sometimes,” she allows. “Oh, look! Lilly’s done arguing with Celeste. Let’s see what everybody learned.” 

Veronica signals to Lilly, who slides into a dining chair next to Jake. Lilly glares at her mother until Celeste sits next to her husband with an annoyed huff. 

Veronica takes a seat at the head of the table with Logan next to her. 

Aaron sits next to Logan and smiles fondly at Veronica. “Nothing came of the bank account angle. We froze whatever we knew about, but there were no significant withdrawals.” 

Lynn brings a bottle of wine over to the table, and gracefully leans on the chair next to her husband. She tops off his glass. “And I’m sorry, dear, but Trina got wind of our plan.” 

“So, Veronica, what’s next?” Aaron asks Veronica with amused indulgence. 

Logan thinks damsels might need an occasional acting refresher because Veronica barely stops her eye roll, and she’s definitely gritting her teeth. 

“What do you mean, Trina got wind of our plan?”

“This is a waste of time.” Celeste gripes.

Veronica ignores her. “Mr. Echolls—Aaron?” 

The most dramatic member of Logan’s family pauses for effect. “Didn’t I mention? Trina sent me a text.” Aaron reclines against the dining chair with an air of satisfaction.

“And what did the text say?” Veronica asks through an overly bright smile.

“It didn’t make much sense, but at least I know she’s okay.” 

Logan tries not to laugh at Aaron’s sentimental tone. Apparently being dramatic doesn’t make you a good actor. 

Aaron takes his cell phone out with a flourish, and reads outloud.

“‘Nice try, Daddy, you can’t revoke my trust fund if I already received it. Stop harassing my friends.’” He looks around, “See? Doesn’t make any sense.”

Veronica looks up excited. “Lilly!” She exclaims urgently. 

Lilly is already rummaging through the forgotten bags on the floor. Finding her purse, she pulls out a red spiral notebook. She sits back at the table and flips it open. 

While Lilly is going through the pages, Veronica explains. “We didn’t just call our ‘little friends.’” She shoots Celeste a withering look. “We gave each of them a different message. Things like: Celeste promises to give Duncan early access to his trust fund if he comes back. That way we know who’s communicating with them if they sent a message back.”

“Tell me again.” Lilly interrupts. 

Veronica repeats. “Revoke _ Trina’s _trust fund.” 

“Found it!” Lilly pales. She turns her face away from her parents and gives Veronica a panicked look. 

Veronica curses low enough that only Logan can hear her. 

“Well, who is it?” Celeste demands.

Lilly looks studiously down at her notebook. “Eli Navarro.” 

Logan looks around. Save Lilly and Veronica, there’s no recognition on anyone’s faces. “Who’s Eli Navarro?” 

“He went to high school with Lilly and me.” Veronica turns to the Kanes. “He’s Letty Navarro’s grandson.” 

“Navarro. The Casablancas’ housekeeper?” 

“That’s the one.” Veronica confirms to Jake. 

Celeste sniffs. “Duncan doesn’t associate with undesirables.” 

Ostensibly she means this Eli, but Logan’s _ sure _ she’s actually referring to Trina. 

“Why don’t we have the police pick him up?” Lynn suggests. She doesn’t seem overly concerned, but that’s no surprise since she already has a glass in her hand.

“Now, now, Lynn. That doesn’t seem necessary.” Aaron pats her hand.

It dawns on Logan that his father has been remarkably calm about this entire situation. He thought for sure there’d be more yelling and threats. Logan supposes that linking the Echolls and Kane names would be a PR coup for his dad. 

“No, Lynn’s right, Aaron. We’ll have to have him picked up.” 

“Mother, you can’t just have him hauled off by the cops.” Lilly barks. 

Through the glass of the table Logan sees Veronica kick her.

In a calmer voice, Lilly adds, “Didn’t you say you wanted to keep this away from the press? You know no one in Neptune can keep a secret. Especially the cops.” 

“I’m friends with Eli.” Veronica valiantly overlooks Celeste’s muttered, “Of course you are.” 

“Why don’t I call him and we can figure things out from there?”

Lilly eagerly pulls Veronica up. “We'll be back once we track him down.” 

Veronica whispers in his ear as she rises, “Grab the food, we’re hiding out.” 

He grins as Lilly tugs Veronica away. 

Logan sticks a few takeout containers under his arm. “Sorry, Pops. Duty calls.” 

He meets up with them in the hall. Veronica steals the food from him, and pushes him towards his room, ordering him to change. He manages to give her a peck on the cheek before he takes off toward his room, whistling. 

* * *

**VERONICA**

Veronica stares after Logan, then steels herself as she enters the room she’s officially dubbing their base of operations. She can process the Logan situation, including why he didn’t kiss her at the pool, later. Right now Lilly has to be…Veronica looks around the office…_ freaking the hell out, apparently. _

Lilly paces while yelling into the phone.

The room is a mess. Lilly’s suitcase is half filled and her clothes are strewn around the room. Veronica guesses that Lilly has packed and unpacked her clothes a few times. She also notes a sea of yellow next to her own suitcase. _ Guess Lilly is taking her, too. _

“I’m serious, Eli. Call me back. Now.” Lilly hangs up and throws the phone into the suitcase, then glowers at it. She unpacks it and places it on the desk. 

Veronica drops the Chinese food boxes next to the phone.

Lilly grips her sisters forearms with both hands. “What are we going to do, Veronica?” 

“Lilly, calm down.” 

Lilly lets her go and resumes wearing a path into the carpet. “Calm down?”

“Lilly—“

“How I am I supposed to calm down? My parents aren’t supposed to know that Eli exists and now they think he’s an accessory to whatever the hell Duncan is doing right now.” 

With a sigh Veronica trades her swimwear for a cotton swing dress. Yellow, of course. She opens the desk drawer and removes her cell phone. She may as well check her messages. Lilly’s still going, she'll wind down when she’s good and ready. 

Veronica scoops up a white carton and starts munching on General Tso, scrolling through her phone with the other hand. A few missed calls from her dad—she’ll have to fill him in tonight—

“How is Eli mixed up in this? How dare he not even tell me. I can’t believe I …” 

—a couple of texts from Enbom, _ so not happening _, a text from an unknown number. 

“...supposed to mean something. Where’s the loyalty?” 

Veronica opens the anonymous text and smiles. It’s Logan. _How did he get her number?_ **Good fake girlfriends don’t hog the food. **She chuckles around a bite of chicken. 

_ “ _Celeste isn’t going to let this go. She’s going to have him arrested or something, I just know it...”

After a moment’s thought, Veronica carefully crafts her reply: **Good fake boyfriends smuggle in dessert. **Should she add a wink to the text? 

“And now he’s avoiding my calls. When I think about everything I’ve done to...” 

Veronica settles on no wink. They’re taking it slow, after all. She hits send and almost immediately, the phone rings. _ Eli Navarro. _

She sneaks a glance at Lilly, who’s still monologuing, and answers. “So…what’s new with you?” 

“How mad is she?”

In response, Veronica holds the phone up and lets Lilly’s tirade wash over the receiver. 

“...These are the best years of my life, my golden years, my freaking braless years, and if he thinks…”

She brings it back to her ear. “I wouldn't say you need to go into hiding, buuut…”

“Shit.” 

“Yup.” Her tone turns serious. “Hermano, what did you do? And why doesn’t Lilly know about it?” 

Eli sighs. “Duncan begged me not to say anything. He said he would talk to Lilly himself. And he paid cash. You know I’m not gonna say no to that. What would you have done, V?”

She would’ve told Lilly. “I probably wouldn’t have pissed off my almost girlfriend, you moron.” 

“Yeah, well, I guess I’m not that smart. Listen, someone’s at the door. I’ll call her back later.” 

Veronica hangs up and focuses her attention on Lilly. 

“And another thing—“

“Lilly! For the love of God, please shut up!”

Lilly halts mid-step, and shuts her mouth with an audible snap. 

“You. Must. Chill.” Veronica enunciates each word. 

“Celeste is going to murder him, Veronica.” Deflated, Lilly sits on the couch. “And he _ lied _ to me.” 

Yeah, that surprised Veronica, too. Eli’s not a choir boy, but he usually avoids outright lying to Lilly. They’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, but he’s always been a constant in her sister’s life. He stuck by Lilly through her self-destructive sleeping around phase, and has even gone to some therapy sessions with her. 

Kneeling next to Lilly, Veronica takes her hands. “Hey, look at me. We don’t know what happened. You know Eli would do anything for you, but Duncan is his friend too. ”

Actually, Eli is more like their brother-in-law, but she doubts Lilly would appreciate the term right now. 

They both turn at a knock on the door. 

“Come in!” Lilly calls out, and turns away from Veronica’s probing stare. 

A pretty platter of chocolate cake appears in the half open doorway, followed by the even prettier head of Logan Echolls. 

“I come bearing chocolate.” 

“Oh! Gimme!” Lilly squeals. 

Veronica trades Logan the half eaten carton of chicken for the platter of cake. She looks around and puts the plate on the desk chair, rolling it in between her and Lilly on the couch. They both pick up forks and dig in. “So, what’s it like out there?”

“Calmer than you’d think. For the most part. Celeste is on the phone ordering someone to find Eli Navarro.” 

Lilly groans. “I knew it!”

Logan sits next to Veronica and steals her fork. 

“Hey!” 

Logan grins wickedly and forks chicken into his mouth. With a shrug Veronica breaks off a bit of cake with her thumb and forefinger, and swallows it whole, then licks the excess frosting off her fingers. 

She needs to find out where Logan got this cake, maybe she can take some home with her. 

Logan startles her by shoving the fork back in her hand. “Here. Use this. Please.” His voice is strained and Lilly smirks.

Logan shakes his head and nudges Veronica. “What’s the deal with this Eli guy?” 

Veronica gestures for Lilly to field the question. 

“Eli is my…. He and I are…. We date. Sometimes.” Lilly swallows a bite of cake, then deflects in a rush, “What’s going on with you two?” She jerks her chin to where Veronica’s thigh brushes against Logan’s on the couch.

“Veronica is giving me a chance. At least until we find our siblings.” Logan sounds extremely pleased. 

Veronica raises her brows. She expected a witty remark or an evasion. His openness surprises her, makes him more enticing. She didn’t think that was possible. 

Lilly expression goes soft, but all she says is “Good, don’t mess it up.” 

Hoping to distract herself, and Lilly, Veronica updates them on what she’s found.

“Lilly, do you remember a couple of months ago when Duncan said he was going on a solo hike?” Veronica asks. 

“Sure, I made him pack a knife in case he got stuck under a rock and had to saw his own hand off.” Lilly smirks. “He went to Newport Beach instead.” 

“Yes, good job Lilly.” Veronica praises dryly. “He lost his wallet the second night and we had to wire him money to get him home.” 

Logan snickers and Veronica steps on his foot. “_ Anyway _, the pictures from his trip match the background of some pictures in Trina’s outbox. I want to line up Duncan and Trina’s travel history.” 

“And what will that tell you?” Logan asks. 

“I’m not sure, but Lilly and I were surprised that they even knew each other. Did you know?”

“I didn’t. But to be honest, I don’t know much about my sister’s social life.” 

They spend the next few hours combing social media, texts, and emails to create a timeline of Duncan and Trina’s social calendars. And while they didn’t enjoy spring break together, they have been dating for at least a year and a half. 

“I’m impressed,” Lilly declares. “I didn’t think Donut had it in him to carry on a torrid affair.” Her face turns somber. “But we still need to find him, Veronica. I need to know he’s really okay. The note didn’t tell us _ anything _.”

_ Ah, yes, the note. “Dear Lilly, Left town with Trina Echolls. Be back soon. Love, Duncan.” _

Why it sent Lilly into a tale spin she doesn’t know, but she can only assume it’s because Duncan is rarely impulsive so something must be wrong. 

The doorbell rings and Veronica digs her thumb into her temples. _ What now? Isn’t everyone already here? _

“Let my dad get it. He pays the rent, might as well open the door.” Logan looks at Veronica with concern.

“No, you guys go.” Lilly insists. “I'm going to make a phone call.” She gives Veronica a significant look. 

“If you’re sure…” Veronica searches Lilly’s face, and Lilly gives her a small nod. “Okay. We’ll be back soon.”

Veronica walks up to Logan and he tosses his arm around her shoulders. “Come on, Sugar Lips.” 

Veronica wrinkles her nose, but can’t stop a smile from forming. Even Lilly looks amused. 

By the time they arrive at the door, Celeste is opening it. “Keith! Thank you for coming.”

“Why does she keep inviting people to my house?” Logan whispers in Veronica’s ear. But she barely hears him.

“And you brought company, I see.” Celeste adds with distaste. 

“Hey, V.” 

“Hi, Honey.” 

“Hi, Eli. Dad.” Veronica answers weakly. 

* * *

**LOGAN**

_ Dad? _ Logan drops his arm from Veronica’s shoulders and takes a small step away from her. He and dad’s don’t mix. 

“Looks like we have a lot to catch up on, Honey.” Keith looks meaningfully at Logan. 

“Dad, you remember my _ boyfriend _, Logan?”

Keith nods. “Of course. Nice to see you again, Son.”

Logan pastes on his most charming smile. “Nice to see you again, Kei—.” 

Keith’s eyes narrow. 

“—Sir.” Logan finishes smoothly. 

“Yes. Yes.” Celeste brushes away the niceties and urges everyone into the living room, and moves to close the door. 

“Sorry!” A pretty blonde woman pushes it open before it shuts. “I got caught up talking to the lovely doorman.” 

Logan supposes he should be happy the man is still alive. _ Guess Celeste didn’t turn him to stone. _

“Lianne.” 

“Celeste.” 

_ Lianne...isn’t that… _

“Hi, Mom.” Veronica’s voice holds no inflection. He can’t get a read on her face, either. It’s like she’s completely shut down. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the spa?”

“Hi, Baby!” Lianne rushes over to hug Veronica, who lays passive in her embrace. “Oh, I decided to come home early.” 

The look Veronica shares with her dad is full of resignation, and Logan’s not sure what to make of it.

“Why don’t I show everyone to the dining room? We’re all gathered there.” Celeste ushers the guests away. 

_ She sure has a way of making herself at home. _

Celeste, Keith, Lianne, and Eli make their way to the dining room, but Veronica holds Logan back. 

“My dad is cool. He trusts me and he’ll play along with the dating until we can explain. He’s also Sheriff of our town and he won't let whatever this is go too far.” 

_ A cop? Fantastic. That explains the DNA kit toting babysitter. _He’s been trained from an early age to avoid the police...and doctors...and teachers. Anyone who might notice a bruised unhappy little boy under the pompous veneer. He reminds himself he’s a grown up, and gives Veronica his attention.

“But Logan, you need to keep your mom away from my mom. We have enough drama going on right now. We don’t need them drunk and disorderly.” 

He stands up straighter. “Excuse me?” 

“I notice things, okay?” Veronica’s voice is almost apologetic. “And trust me, I recognize an alcoholic. That thing your mom did at lunch? The artful way the level of the glass never seems to change but the wine bottles manage to be empty? That’s a classic Lianne Mars move.” 

Veronica drops her hand from his arm, and runs her fingers through her hair. Things start to fall into place in Logan’s mind. 

“The spa?”

“A seven day detox program.” Veronica confirms. “She managed 5 days this time.” 

“Hey.” Logan cups her check. “My mom finished a three month treatment program—I think that time we were calling it a ‘health retreat’—and still relapsed.” 

Veronica gives him a minuscule smile, and it boosts his confidence. He doesn’t usually talk about this part of his life, but it might help her. 

And maybe the best way to prove that he’s worth taking a chance on is to explain why this Logan won't go off and screw the first person that comes along every time he’s mad at her.

“Have you...ah… ever thought about going to an Al-Anon meeting?” 

“Al-Anon? Like, group therapy?”

“Yeah. I started going about a year and a half ago. My therapist suggested it. I’d been trying to get my life together. Avoid some of my less-desirable coping mechanisms.”

“Binge drinking? Indiscriminate sex? Jumping to conclusions?” Her tone is teasing and her eyes are full of understanding.

“Yes.” He taps her nose. “Those things. But with my family...let’s just say I relapsed more than I’d like to admit.”

“And the meetings helped?”

“They did.” 

She looks like she doesn’t know what to say, and he lets her off the hook. “So, is that Lilly’s Eli?” 

Veronica startles. “Shit. Do you have your phone? I need to text Lilly.” 

He stands by while she and Lilly text back and forth. 

“Okay,” she tells him. “Lilly knows he’s here, and she’s coming out. The only person who knows she’s dating Eli is my dad, so mums the word.” 

“_ Are _ they dating?” 

Veronica laughs. “I don’t think even they know the answer to that.”

She holds out her hand to him, and he covers it with his. They meet Lilly in the hall entrance and walk to the dining room together. 

When they enter, Logan’s mom and Veronica’s mother are already standing together at the bar. _ There goes that plan. _

Keith sits at the table with Jake, Celeste, and Aaron at his side.

Veronica casually leads Logan to the spot behind Eli, seated across the table, alone. His face is expressionless but Logan spies his hands clenched in his lap. 

Lilly looks like she wants to join them but reluctantly stands next to her father instead. 

“There you are, Honey.” Keith lingers on Veronica and Logan’s joined hands. 

“Sorry about that Dad.” Veronica draws Keith’s attention to her. “What’s going on?” 

“Celeste asked me to question Eli, and while I can’t do that in my _ official _ capacity, I did manage to run into him at his grandmother’s house. Since _ you _and Eli are such good friends,” Keith keeps his back to Celeste and sends Eli a wink, who flushes. “He offered to come up here to help sort things out. 

“Uh, yeah. Anything to help out V.” Eli agrees. 

“Eli. Do you know where they are?” Keith questions. 

Lilly sends Eli a barely perceptible negative shake of her head. 

“All I know is Duncan and his girl did a favor for my Uncle Angel. They were looking to get out of town, and Angel needed someone to drive a car to Las Vegas.” 

Next to Logan, Veronica stiffens. 

Logan’s sure he’s the only one who catches Aaron’s quick grin of satisfaction. 

Everyone else is focused on Celeste’s agitation. “Vegas! They’re getting married?” 

“Relax, Celeste. I’m sure Duncan has more sense than that.” Jake easily dismisses the idea of marriage and Aaron shoots him a dirty look. 

“How about we give your uncle a call, Eli?” Keith proposes. 

“Angel’s not gonna talk to no cop.” Eli shifts uncomfortably. 

“I’m sure we can make him talk.” Aaron’s voice is menacing, but Logan recognizes the tone from last year’s CSI guest appearance. It’s all for show. Unfortunately, Logan’s the only one not buying it. 

Except… when he glances at Veronica, she’s eyeing Aaron skeptically. _ He knew he liked her. _Logan pulls her closer.

“Let’s keep the threats to a minimum, folks,” Keith suggests mildly. 

Logan admires a man who has no qualms about chastising the great Aaron Echolls, In public no less. Maybe having an officer of the law in his corner wouldn’t be so bad. 

Predictably, Aaron postures. “I’ll speak to that hoodlum any way I want.” 

Lilly grits her teeth and Veronica's hand tightens in his. 

“Gosh, Dad.” Logan pipes up. “Doesn’t the constitution protect him from cruel and unusual punishment?” 

Aaron glares at him. He’ll definitely pay for that later, but he hears Veronica stifle a giggle so it’s worth it. 

Keith probably saves him for the worst of Aaron’s retribution by taking the question seriously. “Well, he hasn’t actually been accused of anything, but yes, I suppose so.” 

“Oh!” Logan affects surprise. “He’s not a suspect?”

“No.” Keith hides a smile. 

“You can see my confusion.” 

“Alright, Logan. I get your point.” Keith stands. “Eli is here of his own free will, he’s not required to sit here, and be threatened and belittled.” He nods to Eli. “Let’s go, Eli. We’ll head back to Neptune in the morning.”

Eli rises slowly and Veronica elbows Logan. 

“We need him.” She whispers.

_ He _needs everyone to get the fuck out so he can spend some alone time with her, but no one is doing him any favors. Logan sighs, then offers loudly, “He can stay with me.” 

“Son—“

“Logan—“

“He’s a criminal—.” 

Logan raises his hand to quell the protests. “He’s a friend of Veronica’s. He’s welcome. Everyone else can go.”

Aaron opens his mouth to challenge him and Logan subtly directs Aarons’s attention to Lynn. 

Lynn and Lianne are taking full advantage of the bar and are now enjoying Vodka martinis. Lynn, who very publicly quit cigarettes four years ago, chain smokes and gestures wildly to Lianne, drink sloshing over the rim. 

Aaron’s jaw tightens and he rushes over to his wife. 

Veronica lets go of Logan’s hand to share a whispered conversation with her father. 

When they’re done, Keith winks at Logan as he approaches Celeste. “I think I may have a few ideas, Celeste. Why don’t we all go back to the hotel and talk. No need to involve the kids any further.” 

The foursome walk quietly down the hallway, and Logan leads Veronica into his bedroom, trying not to frown when Lilly and Eli follow close behind. 

_ At this rate he’s never going to get her alone. _

Eli closes the door behind them and is immediately attacked by the two blondes. Logan watches, fascinated, as Lilly punches his shoulder and calls him a jackass at the same time Veronica moves in for a hug. 

They’re obviously close, and show no fear of the tattooed, leather-clad, man.

Veronica leans back and searches Eli’s face, “You okay, hermano?” 

Hermano… that means… “He’s your brother?”

They all stare at Logan like _ he’s _the crazy one. 

Veronica takes pity on him. “No, still just the one sibling.” She tugs Lilly’s hair lightly. 

Eli looks at Veronica, dumbfounded. “You told _ him _.” 

“Not this again,” she mutters. 

It dawns on Logan that he’s in a small, privileged circle of people who know the truth about their sisterhood. 

“Eli, Logan, Logan, Eli.” Veronica introduces him. 

“He’s the guy from Trina’s New Years party,” Lilly adds. 

This is one of the few times where it’s unfortunate that his reputation precedes him. 

Eli looks him over and seems less than impressed, but holds out his hand. “Call me Weevil.” 

Logan shakes his hand, eyes wide. “Why?” 

“It’s what most people call him.” Veronica explains. 

“Uh, sure, man. If that’s what you want.” 

He would have gone with something cool like Dragon if they were giving out nicknames, but to each his own. 

“Great! Glad we’re all friends.” Lilly rounds on her sort of boyfriend. “What the fuck, Eli?” 

Lilly curses, but there’s no heat behind it. Logan seems to be the only one who notices. 

“He told me he was going to call you.” Weevil rejoins hotly.

“Well, he didn’t.” 

“There was a note,” Veronica puts in. 

“Fucking coward,” Weevil mutters.

“To be fair, you knew and you said nothing.” Veronica points out.

“Yeah, well, I like seeing Lilly naked. What’s Duncan’s excuse?” 

And just like that, Logan and Veronica are sidelined. _ It would be insulting to make popcorn, right? _ Logan nonchalantly steps out of striking range, taking Veronica with him. He knows better than to get in the middle of domestic disturbances. 

Sure enough, Lilly throws a pillow at Weevil’s head. “Well, that won’t be happening again so I hope you have a good mental image to keep you company.”

“Don’t start that shit, Lilly. I’m here, right? I cancelled a date tonight to come.” 

Lilly freezes. Genuine hurt fills her tone. “You had a date?”

“So they _ aren’t _together?” Logan asks Veronica in a hushed tone. 

“It’s complicated,” Veronica whispers back. “He doesn’t actually sleep around, but his grandmother likes to set him up, she doesn’t know about Lilly. And he goes because—“

“You don’t get to do that. I told you, the minute you want to make an honest man outta me, I’m yours. But I won’t just be your dirty little secret.” Weevil’s demeanor turns to pure insolence. “Even though we both know how dirty you like it.” 

“Ugh!” Lilly throws her hands up and barrels out of the room, slamming the door closed behind her. 

Weevil heaves a sigh and plops down on the sofa. “That went well.” 

“I have to go take care of that.” Veronica tells Logan. 

In his opinion the wrong person is leaving, but her loyalty to her sister is one of the things he’s come to admire most about her.

Veronica walks over to Weevil and smacks him on the head. 

“Damnit, come on, V.”

“You’re a moron.” 

“I know.” Weevil drops his head in his hands as Veronica walks away. 

Logan opens the minifridge and liberates a couple of beers. He waves one under his new friend’s nose. 

“Thanks, man.” 

Logan settles down next to him. It’s none of his business, but Veronica’s too devoted to Lilly to say anything, and the poor guy looks like he could use a break. 

“So… it’s pretty obvious Lilly’s in love with you.” 

“Doesn’t stop her from being embarrassed to be seen with me.”

_It can never be said enough:_ “You’re an idiot.” 

Weevil doesn’t even flinch. “Yeah, what do you know about it?”

“No offense, but you seem like the kind of guy who drives parents insane.” 

Weevil sips on his beer. “What’s your point?”

“Girl like that, with a mother like Celeste? If she didn’t love you she would throw you in Celeste’s face. Bring you to Christmas dinner, get caught screwing you by the pool.” 

Weevil snorts. 

“If she’s not doing that, then she’s protecting you.” 

Weevil gives him an incredulous look. “Protect me? I run a biker gang. I carry a gun.” 

_ Like he said, idiot. _ “And are you planning to shoot your girlfriend's parents anytime soon?”

“Of course not, man.” Weevil points to his chest with his beer. “Heart of gold.” 

“But the Kane’s _ will _ discourage businesses from hiring you. They’ll threaten to deport anyone in your family that’s not legal.”

Weevil shrugs that off. _ Clearly, he’s missing the enormity of the situation. _

“I hear your grandmother works for a friend of theirs. How long do you think that will last once they know about you and Lilly?”

Weevil’s face goes slack with comprehension. He stands abruptly, shoves his beer at Logan and storms out of the room. 

Logan puts the beers on the table and hurries to follow. 

“What room?” Weevil yells over his shoulder. 

Logan jogs to catch up. “Third door on the left.” _ Assuming they went to the office. _

Weevil slams the door open.

Veronica and Lilly, huddled on the sofa, look up in alarm.

Weevil strides up to Lilly. “Are you protecting me from your family?”

Lilly snaps her mouth shut, and looks away.

“Are you protecting my grandmother?” He presses.

She crosses her arms over her chest. “Maybe.” 

“Well, fucking stop it.” Weevil hauls Lilly off the couch and covers her mouth with his. 

Happy to be sidelined again, Logan slips around the ardent couple and pulls Veronica off the couch, through the door, right back to his bedroom. 

“Logan!” She exclaims breathlessly as he kicks the door shut and brings her into his arms. 

“Alone at last.” 

* * *

**VERONICA**

Veronica stares up into Logan’s eyes. Now is probably a good time to tell him she thinks she knows where his sister is but…

She winds her arms around him. “Thanks for standing up for Weevil back there.” 

The minute he did, he rose in her esteem. Watching Logan go to bat for a guy he didn't even know, filled her with gratitude. And something more. 

His hands slide down her ribcage to her hips. “Full disclosure, I did it for you.” 

Logan’s thumbs brush small circles over her hip bones and she struggles to concentrate. 

Veronica clears her throat, but she can’t help herself from drawing him closer. “Did you also tell him Lilly was shielding him from the Kanes for me?” 

“Just helping my new friend.” He brushes her nose with his.

“You’re a romantic,” she accuses. 

“Guilty.” He agrees readily, his lips a breath away from hers. “Is this okay?” 

It is, it really is, but if she kisses him she’s not sure if she’ll be able to stop and she should probably tell him where she thinks his sister is.

“It is, but,” she leans away. “We need to talk.” 

“Veronica, all we do is talk.” His mouth closes the small distance. 

_ He’s right, talking is overrated. _

She tightens her arms around him, and finally, after two days and two years, lets herself get lost in him. 

They end up under the covers, but over the clothes. Mostly. There is no time limit, no pretenses, and no reason to move too fast. They take the time to explore each other, with leisurely kisses, and unhurried touches, only coming up for air when the murmur of voices sounds outside their door. 

The only reason it hasn’t burst open by now is because Eli tempers her sister. 

Veronica does a check to make sure everything is covered then sits up on the bed and smiles at Logan, who is adorably mussed and grumpy at the interruption. “Sorry, it’s inevitable.” 

He sits beside her and she kisses his pout. “Incoming,” she warns against his lips, then leans back and yells, “Lilly, get in here!”

Lilly comes bounding in, Eli on her heels. Lilly plops onto the foot of the bed, and Eli moves so he’s in touching distance. _ It’s about time. _

“Okay, Veronica. What do we do next? I want Eli as far away from Celeste as possible.” 

Eli pokes her shoulder. “We just talked about this. Should we go _discuss _it again?” 

“Later.” Lilly winks then gives him an adoring look. “How about we look out for each other?”

_ See? Marshmallow. _

Veronica braces herself for Lilly’s anger. “I know what happened.” 

Next to her Logan tenses and it dawns on her that with Duncan and Trina found, their self imposed time limit is up.

He’s so open with her, to the point where his forthrightness and willingness to be vulnerable is a little intimidating. But she hasn’t exactly exposed her soft underbelly. He probably has no idea how badly she wants to give them a try.

She covers his hand with hers, hoping to convey her feelings, and he laces his fingers through hers and squeezes back. 

“Where are they?” Logan asks. His tone is neutral, but his eyes are warm. 

Veronica lets out a relieved breath. “A question for Eli, first. Did Duncan and Trina really go to Vegas, or did they take the car to your Uncle’s chop shop in Santa Ana?”

Eli narrows his eyes at her, and she shrugs. “I know things.”

“Santa Ana.” Weevil confirms reluctantly. 

_ Exactly what she thought. Santa Ana. Closest beach: Newport. _

“Eli!” Lilly smacks his arm. 

“What?” Eli dodges the second blow. “Did you not shake your head at me when I was being interrogated? You basically told me to lie.” 

“Not to _ me, _” She grumbles. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier.” 

Weevil kisses her temple. “Baby, we’ve been busy.” 

Lilly softens into him. Veronica watches them fondly. They’ve always stood up for each other, but now it looks like they’re standing by each other as well. Forming a new unit.

Veronica glances at Logan. She’s hoping to build her own unit here. 

“So, Duncan’s in Santa Ana?” Lilly questions. 

“Not exactly. If I’m right, Duncan is in Newport Beach.” 

Lilly blinks. “He went back to the beach?”

“I told Logan earlier that someone had to be helping them.” She takes a deep breath. “Turns out, it was us.”

Veronica glances at Logan while Eli and Lilly protest. He hasn’t moved. Mr. Open and Honest hasn’t even batted a damn eyelash to indicate what he’s thinking...but he hasn’t taken his hand from hers, either. She’s itching to talk to him about where they stand, but she’s got Lilly to think about. 

She calls out over Lilly and Eli, “Guys! Think about it. Remember last year when that entertainment attorney who owed his ex-wife like half a million dollars, literally erased himself off the face of the earth?”

“I remember that,” Eli chimes in. “People gossiped about it for weeks, it even made the papers.” He turns thoughtful. “And Mr. Mars told that reporter—” 

“It’s easy to disappear if you use cash, don’t use a credit card, don’t use your own car. He called it the basics.” Lilly recalls.

“Right. Well, Eli gave them the car—” 

“You do _ one _ favor,” Eli mutters. 

Veronica shushes him. “And we,” she gestures between herself and Lilly, waiting for the explosion, “funded him.”

All Lilly does is snort. “Lost his wallet on spring break, my ass! We funded him.” 

Veronica blinks. Why isn’t she yelling? Maybe she’s in shock.

“And you figured this out, how?” Weevil wonders. 

“Santa Ana is only a few miles from Newport.” Veronica shrugs. “It’s mostly deduction. But it feels right.”

And so does holding Logan’s hand. So does bantering with him, and kissing him, and everything that’s been happening between them. _ Open, honest, and vulnerable, right? _

She raises their joined hands, places a warm kiss to his knuckles, and holds his hand in her lap. She hazards a glance at his face. She can’t read him, but he still hasn’t let go, her hand is still warm in his, and that has to mean something. 

Lilly eyes them, then says sweetly, “Logan, can you please tell Veronica what you’re thinking so she stops freaking out?” 

Veronica’s eyes widen in mortification. She’s going to kill Lilly. 

Logan answers easily, “The only thing I’m thinking about is how to convince Veronica not to end our ‘fake’ relationship before I have a chance to convince her it should be real.” 

If it weren’t for the thrill that runs through her she’d be annoyed at how transparent and confident he is. She tries to match his boldness. “I’d, uh, actually like to renegotiate the terms of our agreement, if that’s okay.”

He leans down to kiss her shoulder. “We can discuss terms later.” 

Lilly covers her face with her hands, shoulders shaking. 

Alarmed, Veronica lets go of Logan’s hand to crawl to the foot of the bed. She knew it was a matter of time before it hit Lilly. 

She kneels next to Lilly with her shoulder. “Lilly, don’t worry. We’re going to get Duncan back. I’m going to call Vinnie to track him down.” 

“You two are ridiculous.” Lilly lifts her head, laughter etched on her face, “Veronica, I don’t care where Duncan is.”

Veronica’s jaw drops. “I’m sorry, you _ don’t _ want to me find your ‘lying, two faced, bastard of a brother?’” 

“I admit I was curious, but no, silly.” Lilly waves a hand at her. “That was just part of the plan.”

Veronica sits back on her heels. _ The plan? _She glances at Logan, who shrugs.

* * *

**LOGAN**

Earlier, when Veronica admitted to knowing where his sister went, he went into immediate panic mode and shut down. He was _ sure _that it was over. The only reason she came here was to “pool their resources,” and if she doesn’t need him, he doubted Lilly’s persuasive powers would convince Veronica to stay. He’s the one who put a timer on their relationship, and it was already biting him in the ass. 

When she put her hand in his, and pressed her lips against his knuckles, the tentacles of dread began to retreat. Then Lilly put them on the spot, and he thought five words he never thought he would say -- _ Thank God, for Lilly Kane. _ He was willing to bide his time, let the situation play out because it was important to Lilly, so it was important to Veronica. But now that he’s sure Lilly doesn’t care about finding Duncan...

He claps his hands for attention. “Everybody out!” 

“Not you,” he tells Veronica. In case she’s confused. Veronica returns to his side on the bed. 

Weevil tugs Lilly up. “Come on, baby. You’ve meddled enough. Let's go _ discuss _some things.” Lilly goes, calling over her shoulder, “We’ll see you guys in the morning.” 

“Good night.” Logan calls back to two new, very good friends.

When the door closes, Veronica looks up at him. “I need to call my dad.” 

She never does or says what he expects. It’s one of his favorite things about her. 

“You...need to call your dad.” He repeats slowly.

She laughs. “When I spoke to my dad earlier, he agreed to keep the rest of the parents out of our hair if I called him with an update tonight.”

“He wasn’t worried about the Kane heir?” 

Veronica shrugs. “Duncan’s 23 and Trina’s 25. They left town of their own free will. As far as dad’s concerned, this is nobody’s business but theirs. He only agreed to come because Celeste told him I was here and he didn’t want her harassing me.” 

“Makes sense.” He wanted to protect her from that shrew after two minutes, he can only imagine how Keith feels.

“I’m going to tell him what I figured out, and let him deal with the Kanes. Your parents don’t seem too concerned.” 

“Noticed that did you?” 

“I notice a lot of things.” She eyes him carefully, reaches over to brush against his forearm where cigar burns mar his skin. 

He kisses her. “I’ll tell you about it sometime.”

Veronica smiles at him and makes her call. When she’s off the phone, Logan takes that as his cue. 

He stretches across her to dig through his nightstand. His hand closes around a small black box, and with a deep breath he removes it and lays it in her lap. 

“What is it?” She asks looking like the box will burn to the touch. She hides her left hand behind her.

“Veronica, be serious. It’s not a ring.” _ Maybe in another two years. _

With a dubious look she pries the lid off and gasps. Nestled in black velvet is a glass beaded bracelet. 

“You kept it? “Why?” 

“Because that night was important. Because even when I thought I hated you, you were important.” 

Veronica’s eyes take on the sheen of the glass and she blinks furiously. “So, um, it’s getting late. We should get to sleep.” Her voice is shy now. “I’m sure the guest room is occupied. Does the couch in the office pull out?”

_ It does. _

_ “ _It doesn’t.” He schools his features into an expression of remorse. “I’m sorry. There’s only one bed.” He glances pointedly at the bed they’re in. 

She tilts her head. “Logan, this condo is like 2,000 square feet.” 

“And, can you believe it? Only one available bed.” He scoops her up, lays her down on her back, and hovers over her. “Remind me to make an appointment with my realtor.” He lowers his mouth to hers. 

The next morning, when Logan stirs it’s to find himself wrapped around Veronica, her hair in his face, and her cold feet worming their way in between his shins. 

“Hey! Stop that.” He admonishes in her ear. 

She giggles, turns in his arms to rest her head under his chin, and snuggles in. “Good morning.”

Content, he nuzzles her back. “Morning.” 

He runs his hand up her thigh, under the long tee shirt she borrowed from him. _ Yes, a very good mor-- _

“Get up!” Weevil pounds at the door. “There’s breakfast.” 

“So verbose.” Logan meets Veronica’s amused gaze.

“Eli’s not a morning person.” She apologizes. 

He fiddles with the strap of her underwear. “Ignore them?” 

She closes her eyes and leans into his touch. His triumph only lasts a second. “He’ll just come back. Or Lilly will.” She sighs and sits up. 

Logan grumbles, but rises as well, “Do you want me to wait while you go change?”

“Nope!” She answers cheerfully, giving a look of immense satisfaction to her outfit. 

Logan rolls his eyes. Last night when he’d offered her something to sleep in, she ignored his black, fitted, organic cotton shirt. Instead, she dug around his closet and emerged with a ratty UCLA t-shirt he bought on a whim Freshman year. After a million washes its color has faded, but it is still very clearly yellow. 

Veronica practically drags him to the kitchen. Lilly’s loading the coffee machine and Weevil is at the stove flipping pancakes. 

When Lilly spots them in the doorway she takes in Veronica’s outfit and wails, “Oh, come on!”

Weevil snorts and Veronica snickers at her sister. 

Lilly stomps her foot. “Logan, you cannot possibly support this atrocity.”

Logan doesn’t bother to hold back his grin. Lilly has obviously never seen his car. Plus, he appreciates Veronica’s commitment to the bit. And to her sister. He’s hopeful that one day that commitment and loyalty will extend to him. 

“You’re both terrible.” Lilly informs them. She pulls out the coffee pot and gestures to the island, already made up with four place settings. “Sit, sit. Breakfast is almost ready. Make yourself comfortable.”

Logan looks around. _ Yup, still his house _. 

He shrugs and chooses the stool closest to Veronica. “What’s the plan for today?” 

“Well, I spoke to my dad last night.” She accepts Lilly’s offer of coffee. “He told Celeste to hire a professional and leave us alone. She’s going to call Vinnie Van Lowe this morning.” 

“Vinnie’s a Neptune P.I..” Lilly explains as she takes the seat across from Logan.

“What’s the plan, V?” Weevil asks as he dishes up pancakes onto a large serving plate. 

Veronica shrugs. “We hang out until we hear back from Dad. No point in going anywhere while Celeste is on the warpath.” 

Logan gives Veronica’s knee a squeeze under the table. “What do you want to do today?” 

“There’s a pool downstairs, right? We could go swimming.” Weevil suggests as he sits down and places the pancakes at the center of the island. 

“I hear there’s good WiFi there.” Lilly teases. “So we won’t miss Keith’s call.”

Logan flushes. He covers the mild embarrassment with a leer at Veronica. “I’m a fan of anything with less clothes.” 

“A yellow one piece,” Lilly mutters around a pancake bite. “Might as well be a chastity belt.” 

_ She’d be wrong about that. _

* * *

**VERONICA**

They spend the entire morning, and early afternoon, swimming. Veronica is happy to find that Logan fits in seamlessly with her family of friends. 

After the Logan New Year's Eve debacle, Veronica dated a guy at Hearst who just couldn’t figure out that every word out of Lilly’s mouth was disdainful, rude, or sarcastic. It was embarrassing. For him. 

Veronica stayed with him because he was a nice guy, and after the whole Logan situation a nice guy was refreshing. Then when he met Eli, Piz spent ten minutes lecturing her about associating with “criminal elements.” That’s when Veronica realized he wasn’t that nice or even that interesting. He was just the opposite of Logan. The breakup wasn’t pretty, but at least she managed to stay friends with Piz’s roommate. Wallace is cool. 

When they break for lunch, Logan orders Indian food, and they crowd around the kitchen table enjoying each other’s company.

Keith finally calls around 2pm. “Hi, sweetheart.”

“What’s up, Dad?”

“Vinnie found them.”

“Really?” She didn’t think it would be that easy. 

“Honey,” Keith scoffs, “he’s a sheltered rich kid who has maids fold his underwear. How far did you think he would get?” 

_ Fair enough. _“Tell me.” She puts the phone on speaker. 

“Duncan set up a nice little love shack on the beach, all paid for in cash. Would’ve been hard to find, but Trina withdrew some of her trust fund money at an ATM near their house.”

“Have I mentioned Trina’s adopted?” Logan asks rhetorically. 

Veronica shushes him. “Sorry, go ahead, Dad.”

“All Vinnie did was ask around, grease a few palms, and boom! There they were, giving fishing tours to tourists. Unlicensed I might add.” Keith tsks. 

Veronica rolls her eyes. Duncan doesn’t even know how to fish. “Thanks for helping out with this, Dad.” 

“Anytime, daughter of mine. Should I be expecting you back for the rest of winter break?” 

Veronica gives Logan a long look. “I’ll get back to you on that, Dad.”

Veronica hangs up, and Logan pulls her stool closer and the scrape of metal against the floor startles her. She looks around. “Where are Lilly and Eli?” 

“They went to pack while you were on the phone.” Logan’s hands span her waist. 

“Pack?” His thumbs are stroking small circles at her waistline and she can’t think straight . 

“Mmm.” His look is so intense her stomach flips. “You staying?” 

“I’m staying” she confirms, eyes locked on his. 

He leans forward his mouth so close she can taste him. “Terms?”

“Fudge cake for breakfast?” She suggests against his lips.

“Only if you buy more red lingerie.” He counters kissing the corner of her mouth.

She pulls away, eyes narrowed. “What do you know about my red lingerie?” 

He gives her an innocent smile, then pulls her off the stool, into his lap. “But no time limits?”

She wraps her arms around him. “No time limits.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, thank you, thank you to CubbieGirl1723. My alpha reader, beta reader, and friend, you are just as fabulous as Lilly. CG championed this story from day 1, and would not let me delete it. 
> 
> Thank you to AmyPC. You’re beta read was swift, your commitment to continuity impeccable, and your feedback invaluable. 
> 
> Thank you to Chikabiddy. You got me past a mental block I could not dig my way out of with an amazing Alpha read. You’re magic! 
> 
> Disclaimer: I used a line from Buffy in the phone call Lilly has with Shelly.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Cover] Sweet Invention](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20490575) by [cattyk8covers (cattyk8)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cattyk8/pseuds/cattyk8covers)


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